Pre- and post-succession governance philosophies in entrepreneurial family firms

Most studies of succession in family firms concentrate on the succession event and/or on the periods immediately prior or subsequent to that event. We wished to look back at a much longer time period in order to more fully characterize the governance philosophies both before and after succession as well as the related transformations between these periods. Our qualitative study of 13 successions in entrepreneurial family firms reveals changes in the governance roster as well as in the goals, roles, political structures, behavior and climate associated with the principals of these organizations, and based on these we suggest several testable propositions. We conclude with an integrative gemeinschaft–gesellschaft framework that encapsulates the governance philosophies of the pre- and post-succession periods and the transformations between them.