Title: A study of women successors in multigenerational family firms and the development of their leadership roles

Authors: John James Cater III; Marilyn Young; Harold Doty

Addresses: Department of Management and Marketing, The University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75799, USA ' Department of Management and Marketing, The University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75799, USA ' Department of Management and Marketing, The University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75799, USA

Abstract: Although significant interest exists concerning women in family firms, a well-defined picture of their involvement in leadership is lacking. We examine the development of the leadership roles of women in a qualitative study of 19 multigenerational family firms in the USA, using a grounded theory approach and the theoretical lens of the resource-based view of the firm. In-depth interviews revealed four steps of leadership development: next generation managers, TMT executives, matriarchs, and dominant CEOs. We summarise our findings with seven propositions and a model of the development of the leadership roles of women successors in multigenerational family firms.

Keywords: family business; women; successors; leadership; development; qualitative; case study approach; grounded theory; resource-based view of the firm.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2023.134690

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2023 Vol.50 No.4, pp.517 - 549

Received: 14 May 2020
Accepted: 16 Nov 2020
Published online: 06 Nov 2023 *

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