The Spare Sibling - Unveiling Identity Reorientation and Emotional Ambivalence of Non-Successors in Family Firms
Type
conference contribution
Date Issued
2025-06-01
Author(s)
Abstract
This paper investigates how 'non-successors' of family firms perceive themselves to be impacted by not wanting or having the chance to spend their (entrepreneurial) careers in the family firms, while additionally, experiencing exclusion from this specific aspect of family life. The study builds upon the social identity theory, providing valuable insights into the experiences of removing the family business aspect from one's identity. Based on qualitative in-depth data, building on 34 interviews from 28 private family firms, the inductive findings of this paper shed light on the so far under-researched individuals in family firms, the non-successors. Specifically, the identity reorientation and emotional impact of being excluded from succession - and consequently from further involvement in or with the company. We identify distinct phases in the process of identity reorientation that individuals undergo as they transition away from the family firm: an initial loss of identity, followed by an identity crisis, and culminating in a phase of identity reconstruction. Additionally, we found that non-successors have ambivalent perceptions throughout this process and their exclusion from the business. On the one hand, they feel free and relieved for not having to bear the burden, but on the other hand, they feel left out and not as important as their siblings, who have the chance or decide to steer the legacy of the family firm into the future.
Language
English