| Family business literature recognizes succession to be an issue that is critical to and problematic for the continuity of organizations. This dissertation is an exploratory investigation of the next-generation family member's experience of succession in a family firm. The emphasis is on understanding succession as a process, and the characteristics that shape its evolution. The major product is a descriptive framework that portrays individual, relational, and external influences on succession.; The research is based largely on the qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with a sample of thirty-two individuals from thirty-two family firms. Key interview questions inquire about career history, personal involvement in the firm, future expectations, and family structure. Analysis of the interview data on multiple levels provides a descriptive framework for understanding the individual's experience of family firm succession.; Quality of succession experience is defined in terms of one's satisfaction and productivity. As hypothesized, this outcome is facilitated by the following influences at the individual level: the degree to which career, psychosocial, and life-stage needs can be satisfied in the context of the family firm, and the ability to exercise personal influence to improve the alignment of needs.; Relational influences indicate that the greater the mutual respect and understanding between generations and the sibling accommodation between members of the same generation, the more likely an individual will have a high quality succession experience. In addition, the family's commitment to family business perpetuation can positively or negatively effect the individual's experience, while separation strains have generally a negative influence. Finally, external influences indicate that owner role adjustment, defined as the predecessor's diminishing involvement in the firm, as well as organizational design and environmental conditions, shape the effectiveness of succession in family firms.; The research has important implications for theory, practice, and methodology. Specifically, the descriptive framework represents a new theoretical lens for viewing family business succession, and makes contributions to the literature on family firms, succession, adult and career development theory, role theory, entrepreneurship, and family systems theory. It also represents the basis for practical succession interventions and offers an in-depth qualitative approach that has useful applications for future research. |
