Dependency and irrelevance: the dynamics of succession in family businesses

Debbie Bing, Caleb White and Larry Hirschhorn

Chapter 17 in Research Handbook on Emotional Intelligence at Work, 2026, pp 335-343 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter explores the psychological and systemic dynamics that create succession challenges in family businesses through the metaphor of “two blades of a scissor.” The first blade represents founders’ resistance to retirement driven by fear of irrelevance, while the second represents family members’ dependence on the founder for business cohesion and personal identity. Through case studies including Sumner Redstone, “Professional Services Inc.”, and “Food Inc.”, the authors demonstrate how these interdependent force can create vicious cycles that undermine the goals and success of succession planning. The founders hold on tight to control and leadership to maintain relevance and ensure continued business success, while family members avoid taking responsibility, even unconsciously preferring the security of their dependent roles. This dynamic can result in business stagnation and challenged family relationships rather than successful generational transfer that increases the value of business and enhances family connection. The authors propose intervention strategies that work across multiple boundaries—between generations, family and business roles, and present and future—to break these cycles and facilitate meaningful succession transitions.

Keywords: Succession Planning; Founder Dependency; Irrelevance Anxiety; Generational Transfer; Family Dynamics; Business Governance; Organizational Boundaries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332519
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035332526.00026 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:23315_17

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().