Father-Daughter Intergenerational Transition in a Small Family Business: A Temporal Perspective

The intergenerational transition or succession process is a well-researched topic in the family business literature. Yet, despite the numerous studies addressing this complex process, family business scholars have recently critiqued the research results obtained thus far (Sharma, Chrisman and Gersick, 2012). Specifically, some argue that the problem lies in the prevailing paradigm of the positivistic rationalist research ontology and epistemology that continues to dominate the field (Litz, Pearson and Litchfield, 2012). Litz et al. further note that the majority of empirical research is conducted through testing hypotheses on large samples in an effort to identify the ultimate dependent, moderating, or mediating variables that explain succession. Hence, the field appears to be marred by a set of standardized procedures that allow rigor, but sacrifice an in-depth understanding of such an ambiguous process. In a similar vein, Dawson and Hjorth (2012) call for methodological pluralism and encourage scholars to adopt a narrative approach. More recently, Sharma, Salvato and Reay (2014) observe that, although time is pervasive in a family business, it has generally been overlooked by family business scholars and they advocate for its inclusion in family business research.