Taking over the family business

Why do successors decide to join the family business? The current study investigated the hitherto largely ignored perspective of the successor on succession as career decision process. Grounded on family business and career development theory, insights gained from the qualitative analysis of 16 in-depth interviews with successors were used to develop a successor profiling tool. It is composed of three main elements: the succession decision as process, influences of facilitating and inhibiting factors as well as underlying successor commitment over time. A gender sensitive perspective was adopted in order to account for gender differences during tool development. The tool developed offers a practical contribution by helping young family business members to consider succession in relation to their career development.