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Family Business Succession in Different National Contexts: A Fuzzy-Set QCA Approach

Author

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  • José António Porfírio

    (CIEO - Research Centre for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics, Social Sciences and Management Department, Universidade Aberta, 1269-001 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Tiago Carrilho

    (CIEO - Research Centre for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics, Social Sciences and Management Department, Universidade Aberta, 1269-001 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Joseph Hassid

    (Department of Economics, University of Piraeus, 185 34 Piraeus, Greece)

  • Ricardo Rodrigues

    (Centre for Management Studies, ISEG—Lisbon School of Economics and Management, 1249-078 Lisbon, Portugal)

Abstract

Family business succession is a key topic that has attracted considerable attention from researchers, especially in the last decade. Most research, however, is based on case studies with limited applicability and fails to present comparisons across international contexts that highlight differences in succession processes. We apply expectation states theory to analyze a sample of 128 observations in two Southern European countries, Portugal and Greece. We study configurations of successors’ characteristics, family business characteristics, the existence (or absence) of a succession plan, and successors’ motivation to succeed. Our aim is to reveal how these issues affect successors’ perceptions of preparation for succession using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Family businesses are a dominant organizational form all over the world, and succession issues are critical for the sustainability of family businesses. Our findings suggest that different configurations of conditions influence successors’ perceptions of preparation for family business succession. Moreover, we verify the influence of cultural differences on these processes. This research helps fill a gap in the literature, showing the role of a set of characteristics in successors’ perceptions of preparation for family business succession. Our conclusions provide insight into the types of policies that can promote successful family business succession.

Suggested Citation

  • José António Porfírio & Tiago Carrilho & Joseph Hassid & Ricardo Rodrigues, 2019. "Family Business Succession in Different National Contexts: A Fuzzy-Set QCA Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6309-:d:285499
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carlos de las Heras-Rosas & Juan Herrera, 2020. "Family Firms and Sustainability. A Longitudinal Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-27, July.
    2. AL Kayid, Wejdan & Jin, Zhongqi & Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios & Ramakrishnan, Sumeetra, 2022. "Defining family business efficacy: An exploratory study," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 713-725.

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