Successful family business succession: Utilizing peer groups for critical leadership skills development

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenell Lynn-Senter Wittmer ◽  
Clinton Oliver Longenecker ◽  
Angie Jones

Purpose The current study explores the necessary leadership skills required for leadership succession in family businesses as well as best development activities for each skill. The current study provides suggestions for best practices in developing and utilizing peer groups as a leadership development method. Design/methodology/approach A needs assessment was conducted by surveying 150 family-business leaders. Leaders were asked, “What are your most pressing leadership development needs for your organization as you move toward succession? A follow-up question was then asked: “For each of these skills, what method would best help develop this skill for family business leaders?” The responses were content analyzed, placed into themes, and rank ordered. Findings High agreement amongst business leaders was found as eight leadership skills were cited by high percentages of family-business leaders. Leaders overwhelmingly reported peer developmental activities as being the best method for developing these skills. Originality/value Succession planning in family-businesses is critical as many family business fail to make it past the first or second generation. However, little research explores what specific leadership skills are necessary for optimal succession. As well, many leaders in public organizations seek individual methods of development, such as executive coaching, whereas family business leaders seek group activities to learn with/through their peers.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veland Ramadani ◽  
Robert D. Hisrich ◽  
Grisna Anggadwita ◽  
Dini Turipanam Alamanda

Purpose This paper aims to identify the opportunities for them to manage this type of company within the Indonesian context. Design/methodology/approach This paper features descriptive multi-case analyses with a qualitative approach being used to gather and analyze data through in-depth interviews with several Indonesian family business owners having experience of succession. Findings The participation of women in family business management in several major Indonesian cities is quite extensive, especially for those who are highly educated. Similarly, the benefits of involving women in the management of family businesses are quite high because of their personal traits of patience, fastidiousness, tenacity and thriftiness. What is required is to provide wider access for Indonesian women to corporate management positions, broaden their participation in family businesses, secure a controlling role for women and increase women’s knowledge and skills so as to increase the benefit to family company management and its ability to face global competition. Originality/value A conceptual framework demonstrating the various stages of succession planning related to gender equality, which provide women with an opportunity to form the next generation of family business leaders is provided.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma AbdulRahim Chang ◽  
Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik ◽  
Navaz Naghavi

PurposeBy taking the theory of entrepreneurial legacy as the baseline, this study explores the various aspects of succession planning in indigenous family businesses especially the role of female family members in succession and conflicts in family businesses.Design/methodology/approachThe study is qualitative in nature and adopts narrative inquiry to explore the aspects of succession planning. In doing so, the study utilizes an in-depth interviewing technique with nine participants who run their family-owned firms which are mostly in their second or third generation for analysis.FindingsThe findings are concurrent with the literature that indicates a lack of strategic succession planning although ordinary or natural succession does occur in some firms. The study also reports a lack of consideration for female members in succession, daughters in particular, for traditional family firms (FFs) in contrast to entrepreneurial FFs.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has many implications for family-owned firms in Pakistan as they need to align their family business with the theory of entrepreneurial legacy and its three strategic activities in order to ensure the longevity of their business.Originality/valueExploring how succession planning takes place in family indigenous family businesses and what is the role of female family members in succession and conflicts in family businesses are original contributions of this study.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grisna Anggadwita ◽  
Werda Bagus Profityo ◽  
Dini Turipanam Alamanda ◽  
Anggraeni Permatasari

Purpose The family business is one of the business entities that contribute to the economy of a country. Succession in the family business occupies a strategic position, especially in maintaining the company’s sustainability. The Chinese family business has unique characteristics in maintaining and growing its business with the cultural values that underlie how their business. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the cultural values of Chinese ethnic and their implications in the succession process in small family businesses in Bandung, Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach This research uses a qualitative method with the in-depth interview method as a data collection technique. The sampling technique uses purposive sampling, while to test the validity of research data using a triangulation technique. A total of four small Chinese-owned family businesses participated as informants in this study. The study will identify the stage of succession process in the Chinese family business. Findings There are several stages identified in the succession planning of small Chinese-owned family business in Bandung which include succession antecedents, succession activities and desired outcomes. The results showed that small Chinese-owned family business in Bandung has not applied the rules and procedures in the succession process. Most of the Chinese family business in this research still holds Confucianism culture; they prioritize boys as business successors, who have a greater responsibility rather than successor with other gender. Practical implications Several implications are discussed. One of them is the Chinese family business holding cultural values in the process of family business succession. Originality/value This research is expected to provide theoretical and practical implications for academics and family companies with similar cases.


2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suthawan Chirapanda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the important factors for sustainability in Japanese family businesses. Family businesses in Japan are well prepared in succession planning and have the greatest longevity of any in the world. Design/methodology/approach In this study, 15 family businesses in Japan were explored in the food and beverage, confectionary, services, handicraft, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing sectors. Findings The important sustainability factors identified in this study, innovation, competitive advantage, leadership and team management, and establishing good relationships with the local community are the key steps for achieving family business succession. Originality/value Startups and new family businesses in other countries can learn how to run a company successfully based on the Japanese model by applying the keys to success.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Marques ◽  
Leandro Alves da Silva

Family business has been the focus of several studies over the last two decades and its relevance has been supported by the interdisciplinary perspectives in the fields of management, entrepreneurship, economics, psychology, and sociology. Despite that, there is still insufficient knowledge about the key role of family influences in the business, namely the intergenerational management succession, its planning and effectiveness. According to a recent research focused on the entrepreneurial succession in Portugal (AEP, 2011), 50 percent of family businesses are not passed on to the second generation and only 20 percent reach the third generation. In fact, business succession planning has been identified as one of the most challenging steps in the life of the family firm, both in maintaining the competiveness of the business, and in overcoming intra/ inter family conflicts. Nonetheless, resistance to succession, relationship founder/ successor, planning of succession, and type of organisational culture, among others, explain how executive succession is one of the most important and hardest tasks in organisational life (Zahra, 2005). This paper will be supported mainly by qualitative data, taking into account the main results from the project “Roadmap for Portuguese Family Businesses” (NORTE2020/FEDER) developed in Portugal (Marques, 2018) and in Brazil (Silva, 2018), which analyses in-depth interviews conducted to Portuguese (N 23) and Brazilian (N 11) founders/managers/owners. In the present article we wish to discuss the main management challenges of a family business, particularly the importance of succession preparation and the role of the family in the socialisation of the second (third or subsequent) generation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mozhdeh Mokhber ◽  
Tan Gi Gi ◽  
Siti Zaleha Abdul Rasid ◽  
Amin Vakilbashi ◽  
Noraiza Mohd Zamil ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of preparation level of heirs and the relationship between family and business members on the performance of family business in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research design involving the use of a survey questionnaire was implemented to investigate the influences of succession planning factors on the performance of family business in SMEs. The survey was conducted on 50 family business successors in Malaysian SMEs. Findings The result showed that the two studied factors – preparation level of heirs and the relationship between family and business members – have a positive impact on the performance of family business. Research limitations/implications The research concentrated on the performance of family business in SMEs in Malaysia’s southern region. The generalization therefore must be made very cautiously to the overall Malaysian SMEs. Practical implications The findings help family businesses to better understand the importance of the preparation level of heirs and the relationship between family and business members on business performance. This study shows the importance of key factors influencing succession planning so that the successor to the family business can bring the family firm to the next stage of success. Originality/value This study serves as a reference or guide for the management of family businesses to better understand the important factors for effective succession planning. It considers the best possible preparation and family-related factors affecting the end results of business, particularly in Malaysian SMEs.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Kie Kuong Tang ◽  
Wan Sabri Hussin

PurposeThis research study focusses on the succession challenges in small-medium outboard marine businesses of Malaysian Chinese family ownership. The founder-owners face challenges in convincing the next-generation members to establish their careers within the family business and to ensure successions are in place to safeguard the family's wealth. A gap exists in the research literatures concerning such family business owners; and their experiences would provide valuable information to other Malaysian Chinese family businesses planning to start the succession journey.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study methodology to research five Malaysian Chinese family businesses cases in Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia, is used in this study. The primary qualitative data were obtained through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and observations. The research data lead to the identification of the following themes: generational change affects the survival of small-medium Malaysian Chinese family-owned businesses; the founder-owners' intention and desire for business to pass to the next generation give rise to the imperative of succession; the founder-owners' motive and goals, family context and the business nature would determine a large part to how the succession plans are carried out and the upbringing, expectation and obligations would determine how the next generations of children would view the prospect of taking over the family business. From this, a succession model that detailed an inclusive approach to succession planning process between the two generations is established.Research limitations/implicationsA small purposive sample is included, and it is recommended that a larger and more diverse sample be collected in future studies. This study follows a nuclear family structure of parents and children. If more Chinese family businesses are selected based on a wider set of family members such as uncles and cousins, the findings may differ.Social implicationsThis research study could also facilitate other Malaysian family businesses to rethink and refocus on the importance of undertaking an inclusive approach to succession planning and also help potential next-generation successors in understanding and working towards attaining the qualities that family firms look for in future leaders.Originality/valueThe researcher summarizes the study findings into a management succession model. An inclusive succession approach is needed to overcome these challenges and would enable sustainability, continuity and longevity of the family business. This would help the family business to understand that succession is not a single event but a process that needs to be planned together with the next-generation family members over a certain period of time.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 38-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin R.W. Hiebl

Purpose – This paper aims to shed light on the potential downsides of risk aversion in family firms. Moreover, it seeks to provide measures on how to balance risk taking and risk aversion in family businesses. Design/methodology/approach – The article first presents four “dark sides” of risk aversion in family businesses and then describes three groups of measures to balance risk aversion and risk taking. Both the dark sides as well as the measures to balance risk aversion and risk taking are derived from recent scientific research. Findings – Family businesses may decrease risk aversion and foster risk taking and innovativeness by creating transparency on their risk profiles and including outside knowledge in the form of non-family managers, directors or shareholders. Moreover, properly educating and integrating younger family generations might also alleviate an overly high focus on short-term risk aversion. Practical implications – Family business leaders might find the approach and findings presented in this paper helpful for securing the longer-term survivability of their firms and for improving innovativeness. Originality/value – This article is among the first to deal with the dark sides of risk aversion in family businesses, which might endanger their longer-term survivability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-104
Author(s):  
Dahliana Kamener ◽  
Norasekin Ab. Rashid ◽  
Daniati Puttri

The issue of succession is very important because the successful succession leads to the sustainability of a family businesses (Sharma & Dave, 2013). Generally, the family businesses are difficult to flourish and even many have bankrupt. Some family businesses are bound on the first generation  and some have collapsed in the second generation.  Literature shows that just 30 percent of family businesses can be passed along to the second generation, and 70 percent fail after first generation step down because there are no preparation for succession and inability  of the next generation to control and run the company (Aronoff, (2004).  The study purposed to examine six hypotheses and the result showed the succession planning, non-family leadership, and decision making authority unsignificantly affect on the succession of the family business. Nevertheless, founder's influence, successor and strategic planning variable affect significantly to the success of family business succession at Padang city, West Sumatera.  


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Urban ◽  
Ruth Palesa Nonkwelo

PurposeLiterature considers the succession process to be successful when both the continuity of the business and harmony within the family are preserved. This study empirically investigates intra-family dynamics with regard to daughters as potential successors in family businesses.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes place in South Africa where family businesses represent a significant amount of all listed businesses on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. A structured survey instrument is used to collect primary data from family businesses in South Africa. The study hypotheses are statistically tested using regression analyses.FindingsResults highlight the importance of the business context (BC), intra-family cohesion (IFC), intra-family adaptability (IFA) as well as the parent-daughter relationship (PDR) in successful daughter succession planning (SP). An important insight which emerges from the findings is the extent to which a harmonious business environment is conducive in accommodating the daughter as a successor to the business.Practical implicationsFamily business owners need to be aware of the often conflicting pressures that daughters face as potential successors. Evidence-based and fit for purpose to the South African family BC processes and directives must be formulated that guide the implementation of SP. The provision of training specifically focused on gender bias issues and women empowerment programmes in family business is recommended.Originality/valueInvestigating theoretical and practical problems related to daughters in SP in South Africa is important considering that firms in African countries in general tend to be poorly managed.


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