How the Pygmalion Effect operates in intra-family succession: Shared expectations in family SMEs

Paula Martínez-Sanchis, Cristina Aragón-Amonarriz and Cristina Iturrioz-Landart

European Management Journal, 2020, vol. 38, issue 6, 914-926

Abstract: The Pygmalion Effect is a case of the self-fulfilling prophecy, whereby the expectations of leaders influence the performance of followers (Avolio, Walumbwa, & Weber, 2009; Rosenthal, 1993). Intra-family succession processes, which are hardly ever formalised in small- and medium-sized family enterprises, provide a natural context to explore the perceptions that predecessors have about their successors and where the Pygmalion Effect is expected to occur. However, little is known about how a predecessor’s expectations can affect intra-family firm succession processes. Based on qualitative interviews with key family and non-family members, expectations were analysed in four in-depth case studies of intra-family SME succession processes. The findings show that the Pygmalion Effect operates over time and embraces incumbent, successor, and key stakeholders’ expectations, which support the new leader when facing succession-related challenges.

Keywords: Pygmalion effect; Expectations; Family firms; Intra-family succession (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2020.04.005

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