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Abstract

Based on longitudinal case study analysis, this paper provides a metaview of the succession process as it unfolds during the generational transition periods in family enterprise systems. The results indicate that the transition period contains a sequence of phases, here called the transition cycle, during which time the system has an opportunity to do the work or tasks required when changing from one archetypal form of ownership and leadership to another. Each phase in the transition period has a distinct task that the system needs to address, and the whole process requires between three to eight years to complete. Three distinct types of transition “journeys” are identified, based on the extent to which the system was able to make progress with and achieve the tasks required within the transition cycle. One of these journey types was most likely to lead to continuity of the family enterprise, whereas the other two journey types were more likely to lead to disintegration of the system.

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The Succession Transition Process: A Longitudinal Perspective

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