Forced transgenerational succession: Insights from a South African family business

Transgenerational succession remains one of the most studied topics in the family business literature. Despite this attention, little is known about a particular type of succession, one in which a child successor forcibly supplants a parental incumbent. Given that children can and often do push their parents out of the family business, insight into the forced transgenerational succession process is needed. Accordingly, we engaged in an 18-month qualitative study of a family-owned South African textile firm in which the daughter forcibly wrested control of the business from her mother. The findings contribute to theory by showing that cohesive family bonds underpinned the succession and that kinship bonds remained strong even after the forced succession. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.