Enhancing Succession Research in the Family Firm: A Commentary on "Toward an Integrative Model of Effective Fob Succession."
Posted: 24 Nov 2009
Date Written: 2004
Abstract
The Kesner and Sebora article on executivesuccession, Toward an integrative model of effective FOB succession, isevaluated as to its research on family firm succession issues. The articlesuggests that developing testing theory is very much like assembling a jigsawpuzzle. There are two parts to developing testing theory: like a jigsaw, onehas an idea beforehand of what the finished puzzle will look like; also, thereare a certain number of puzzle pieces that fit in specific areas. Many suggestions have been made about what should fit in order to completethe "puzzle," while many aspects have been ignored. It is revealedthrough a review of the literature that industry context and social contextseem to have been overlooked in the family business research up until now.These areas, however, have been covered in several studies that look at CEOsuccession and should be useful references for family researchers examiningthese issues in the future. Findings show that the source of the successor infamily firms may be one of four types: the actual family member, the insideprofessional non-family member, the outside family member who is not currentlyinvolved in the business, or the outside professional manager. (JSD)
Keywords: Operator ownership, Family-work relations, Social networks, Family firms, Succession, Chief executive officers (CEOs), Families
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