Communicational topics in governance processes of Family Business Succession
Keywords:
family business succession;, communicational topics;, incumbent-successor relation;Abstract
Purpose of the paper: The work aims to discover most recalled meta-topics that are considered crucial in a successful family trans-generational passage. In particular, we have stressed the perspective of young generations during the transition.
Methodology: We did a content analysis on qualitative data gathered through interviews. We have studied the succession histories of four family firms, which were reconstructed thanks to a multi-angle comparison which couples the younger and older generation’s comments.
Results: The common patterns that emerged suggest four main components on which heirs focus their attention during a succession, namely: interest in the business, governing the consensus, management of family identity, and personal power. Each topic is a milestone on a young leader’s path to head of the family firm and a focal point on which focus the attention.
Limits: Our sample is limited and contains only male-to-male successions. Hence, our results should be careful handled in making generalizations.
Practical implications: Keeping in mind which should be areas of interest to gain legitimacy and reassure family members and business stakeholders, offers a solid base to consciously plan a succession process, for young leaders and consultant of family firms.
Originality of the study: In relevant literature the communication perspective is underdeveloped although it is mostly importance in the succession process. We have contributed to this branch of studies by offering a set of communication meta-topics that are important to gain legitimacy inside the family business.
References
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CHRISMAN J., CHUA J.H., PEARSON A.W., BARNETT T. (2012) “Family involvement, family influence, and family-centered non-economic goals in small firms”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 36, n. 2, pp. 267-293.
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HOFSTEDE G. (1994), “Management Scientists Are Human”, Management Science, vol. 40, n. 1, pp. 4–13.
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KELLERMANNS F.W., EDDLESTON K.A. (2004), “Feuding Families: When Conflict Does a Family Firm Good”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 28, n. 3, pp. 209-228.
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MACKENZIE A.B., WICKER S.B. (2001), “Game Theory in Communications: Motivation, Explanation, and Application to Power Control”, IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference Proceeding, n. 2, pp. 821-826.
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MILLER D., STEIER L., LE BRETON-MILLER I. (2003), “Lost in time: intergenerational succession, change, and failure in family business”, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 18, n. 4, pp. 513-551.
MILTON L.P. (2008), “Unleashing the Relationship Power of Family Firms: Identity Confirmation as a Catalyst for Performance”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 32, n. 6, pp. 1063-1081.
MITCHELL J.R., HART T.A., VALCEA S., TOWNSEND D.M. (2009), “Becoming the Boss: Discretion and Postsuccession Success in Family Firms”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 33, n. 6, pp. 1201-1218.
MORRIS M.H., WILLIAMS R.O., ALLEN J.A., AVILA R.A. (1997), “Correlates of success in family business transitions”, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 12, pp. 385-401.
PFEFFER J. (1992) Managing with power: Politics and influence in organisations, Pitman, Marshfield (MA).
SHARMA P., CHRISMAN J.J., PABLO A.L., CHUA J.H. (2001), “Determinants of Initial Satisfaction with the Succession Process in Family Firms: A Conceptual Model”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 25, pp. 17-35.
SHARMA P., CHUA J.H., CHRISMAN J.J. (2000), “Perceptions About the Extent of Succession Planning in Canadian Family Firms”, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, vol. 17, n. 3, pp. 233-244.
SHARMA P., CHUA J.H., CHRISMAN J.J. (2003), “Succession Planning as Planned Behavior: Some Empirical Results”, Family Business Review, vol. 16, n. 1, pp. 1-15.
SIGGELKOW N. (2007), “Persuasion With Case Studies”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 50, n. 1, pp. 20-24.
STEIER L. (2001) “Next-Generation Entrepreneurs and Succession: An Exploratory Study of Modes and Means of Managing Social Capital”, Family Business Review, vol. 14, n. 3, pp. 259-276.
STEIER L.P., MILLER D. (2010), “Pre- and post-succession governance philosophies in entrepreneurial family firms”, Journal of Family Business Strategy, vol. 1, n. 3, pp. 145-154.
SUDDABY R. (2006), “What grounded theory is not”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 49, n. 4, pp. 633-642.
WALCOTT H.F. (1999), Ethnography: A way of seeing, AltaMira, Walnut Creek (CA).
WEBER M. (1947), The theory of social and economic organization, Macmillan, New York.
YIN R.K. (2003), Case study research: Design and method (3rd ed.), Sage Publication, Thousand Oak (CA).
ZELLWEGER T., SIEGER P. (2012), “Entrepreneurial orientation in long-lived family firms”, Small Business Economics, vol. 38, n. 1, pp. 67-84.
ZERFASS A. (2007) “Innovation, Communication, and Leadership: New Developments in Strategic Communication”, International Journal Of Strategic Communication, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 107-122.
AMASON A.C. (1996), “Distinguishing the Effects of Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict on Strategic Decision Making: Resolving a Paradox for Top Management Teams”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 39, n. 1, pp. 123-148.
ANDERSON A.R., DRAKOPOULOU-DODD S., JACK S. (2010), “Network practices and entrepreneurial growth”, Scandinavian Journal of Management, vol. 26, n. 2, pp. 121–133.
ARISTOTLE (1928), La metafisica (ed. it), Laterza, Bari.
BARACH J.A., GANITSKY J., CARSON J.A., DOOCHIN B. A. (1988), “Entry of the next generation: Strategic challenges for family business”, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 26, n. 2, pp. 49-56.
BARNES L.B., HERSHON S.A. (1976), “Transferring Power in the Family Business”, Harvard Business Review, vol. 54, n. 4, pp. 105-14.
BIRLEY S. (1986), “Succession in the family firm: The inheritor’s view”, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 24, n. 3, pp. 36-43.
BONACICH P. (1987), “Power and Centrality: A Family of Measures”, American Journal of Sociology, vol. 92, n. 5, pp. 1170-1182.
BROCKHAUS R.H. (2004), “Family Business Succession: Suggestions for Future Research”, Family Business Review, vol. 17, n. 2, pp. 165-177.
CABRERA-SUÁREZ K., DE SAÁ-PÉREZ P., GARCÍA-ALMEIDA D. (2001), “The Succession Process from a Resource- and Knowledge-Based View of the Family Firm”, Family Business Review, vol. 14, n. 1, pp. 37-46.
CARLI R., FAGNANI F., SPERANZON A., ZAMPIERI S. (2008), “Communication constraints in the average consensus problem”, Automatica, vol. 44, n. 3, pp. 671-684.
CATER J.J. III, JUSTIS R.T. (2009), “The Development of Successors From Followers to Leaders in Small Family Firms. An Exploratory Study”, Family Business Review, vol. 22, n. 2, pp. 109-124.
CHRISMAN J., CHUA J.H., PEARSON A.W., BARNETT T. (2012) “Family involvement, family influence, and family-centered non-economic goals in small firms”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 36, n. 2, pp. 267-293.
CHUA J.H., CHRISMAN J.J., SHARMA P. (1999), “Defining the Family Business by Behavior”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 23, n. 4, pp. 19-39.
CHURCHILL N.C., HATTEN K.J. (1987), “Non-market-based transfers of wealth and power: A research framework for family businesses”, American Journal of Small Business, vol. 12, pp. 53-66.
DE MASSIS A., CHUA J. H., CHRISMAN J.J. (2008), “Factors Preventing Intra-Family Succession”, Family Business Review, vol. 21, n. 2, pp. 183-199.
DYCK B., MAUWS M., STARKE F.A., MISCHKE G.A. (2002), “Passing the baton: The importance of sequence, timing, technique and communication in executive succession”, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 17, n. 2, pp. 143-162.
DYER W.G. Jr (1989), “Integrating Professional Management into a Family Owned Business”, Family Business Review, vol. 2, n. 3, pp. 221-235.
EASTON D. (1965), A system analysis of political life, Wiley & Sons, New York.
EISENHARDT K.M. (1989), “Building Theories from Case Study Research”, Academy of Management Review, vol. 14, n. 4, pp. 532-550.
EMERSON R.M. (1962), “Power-dependence relation”, American Sociological Review, vol. 27, n. 1, pp. 31-41.
ENSLEY M.D., PEARSON A.W. (2005), “An Exploratory Comparison of the Behavioral Dynamics of Top Management Teams in Family and Nonfamily New Ventures: Cohesion, Conflict, Potency, and Consensus”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 29, n. 3, pp. 267-284.
FINCH J. (2002), “The role of grounded theory in developing economic theory”, Journal of Economic Methodology, vol. 9, n. 2, pp. 213-234.
GREINER L.E. (1972), “Evolution and revolution as organizations grow”, Harvard Business Review, vol. 50, pp. 37-47.
HABBERSHON T.G., WILLIAMS M.L. (1999), “A Resource-Based Framework for Assessing the Strategic Advantages of Family Firms”, Family Business Review, vol. 12, n. 1, pp. 1-25.
HANDLER W. C. (1992), “The succession experience of the next generation”, Family Business Review, vol. 5, n. 3, pp. 282-307.
HANDLER W.C. (1990), “Succession in family firms: A mutual role adjustment between entrepreneur and next-generation family members”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 15, n. 1, pp. 37-51.
HANDLER W.C. (1994), “Succession in Family Business: A Review of the Research” Family Business Review, vol. 7, n. 2, pp. 133-157.
HOFSTEDE G. (1994), “Management Scientists Are Human”, Management Science, vol. 40, n. 1, pp. 4–13.
HOWORTH C., ASSARAF-ALI Z. (2001), “Family Business Succession in Portugal: An Examination of Case Studies in the Furniture Industry”, Family Business Review, vol. 14, n. 3, pp. 231-244.
KELLERMANNS F.W., EDDLESTON K.A. (2004), “Feuding Families: When Conflict Does a Family Firm Good”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 28, n. 3, pp. 209-228.
LANSBERG I. S. (1988), “The Succession Conspiracy”, Family Business Review, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 119-143.
LANSBERG I., ASTRACHAN J.H. (1994), “Influence of family relationships on succession planning and training: The importance of mediating factors”, Family Business Review, vol. 7, pp. 39-59.
LE BRETON-MILLER I., MILLER D., STEIER L.P. (2004), “Toward an Integrative Model of Effective FOB Succession”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 28, n. 4, pp. 305-328.
LUNDBERG C.C. (1994), “Unraveling Communications Among Family Members”, Family Business Review, vol. 7, n. 1, pp. 29-37.
MACKENZIE A.B., WICKER S.B. (2001), “Game Theory in Communications: Motivation, Explanation, and Application to Power Control”, IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference Proceeding, n. 2, pp. 821-826.
MAZZOLA P., MARCHISIO G., ASTRACHAN J. (2008), “Strategic Planning in Family Business: A Powerful Developmental Tool for the Next Generation”, Family Business Review, vol. 21, n. 3, pp. 239-258.
MILES M.B., HUBERMAN A.M. (1994), Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, Sage, London.
MILLER D., STEIER L., LE BRETON-MILLER I. (2003), “Lost in time: intergenerational succession, change, and failure in family business”, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 18, n. 4, pp. 513-551.
MILTON L.P. (2008), “Unleashing the Relationship Power of Family Firms: Identity Confirmation as a Catalyst for Performance”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 32, n. 6, pp. 1063-1081.
MITCHELL J.R., HART T.A., VALCEA S., TOWNSEND D.M. (2009), “Becoming the Boss: Discretion and Postsuccession Success in Family Firms”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 33, n. 6, pp. 1201-1218.
MORRIS M.H., WILLIAMS R.O., ALLEN J.A., AVILA R.A. (1997), “Correlates of success in family business transitions”, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 12, pp. 385-401.
PFEFFER J. (1992) Managing with power: Politics and influence in organisations, Pitman, Marshfield (MA).
SHARMA P., CHRISMAN J.J., PABLO A.L., CHUA J.H. (2001), “Determinants of Initial Satisfaction with the Succession Process in Family Firms: A Conceptual Model”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, vol. 25, pp. 17-35.
SHARMA P., CHUA J.H., CHRISMAN J.J. (2000), “Perceptions About the Extent of Succession Planning in Canadian Family Firms”, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, vol. 17, n. 3, pp. 233-244.
SHARMA P., CHUA J.H., CHRISMAN J.J. (2003), “Succession Planning as Planned Behavior: Some Empirical Results”, Family Business Review, vol. 16, n. 1, pp. 1-15.
SIGGELKOW N. (2007), “Persuasion With Case Studies”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 50, n. 1, pp. 20-24.
STEIER L. (2001) “Next-Generation Entrepreneurs and Succession: An Exploratory Study of Modes and Means of Managing Social Capital”, Family Business Review, vol. 14, n. 3, pp. 259-276.
STEIER L.P., MILLER D. (2010), “Pre- and post-succession governance philosophies in entrepreneurial family firms”, Journal of Family Business Strategy, vol. 1, n. 3, pp. 145-154.
SUDDABY R. (2006), “What grounded theory is not”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 49, n. 4, pp. 633-642.
WALCOTT H.F. (1999), Ethnography: A way of seeing, AltaMira, Walnut Creek (CA).
WEBER M. (1947), The theory of social and economic organization, Macmillan, New York.
YIN R.K. (2003), Case study research: Design and method (3rd ed.), Sage Publication, Thousand Oak (CA).
ZELLWEGER T., SIEGER P. (2012), “Entrepreneurial orientation in long-lived family firms”, Small Business Economics, vol. 38, n. 1, pp. 67-84.
ZERFASS A. (2007) “Innovation, Communication, and Leadership: New Developments in Strategic Communication”, International Journal Of Strategic Communication, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 107-122.
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2020-03-26
