Passing the baton: The importance of sequence, timing, technique and communication in executive succession

Bruno Dyck, Michael Mauws, Frederick A. Starke, Gary A. Mischke

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Articlepeer-review

    209 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The extensive literature on executive succession gives only scant attention to the actual process of succession. To better understand the dynamics of the succession process, the analogy of a relay race is suggested, where success is influenced by four factors: sequence, timing, baton-passing technique, and communication. These four factors are used as a framework for a longitudinal examination of a failed executive succession in a small, family-owned manufacturing firm. In-depth examination of the attempted succession showed that the four themes are helpful in working toward the development of a general theory of executive succession.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)143-162
    Number of pages20
    JournalJournal of Business Venturing
    Volume17
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Mar. 2002

    Keywords

    • Baton-passing technique
    • Executive succession
    • Family business

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