Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T13:40:02.221Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Family business leadership transition: How an adaptation of executive coaching may help

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Charmine EJ Härtel ,
Gil Bozer  and
Leon Levin
Charmine EJ Härtel
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Monash University, Melbourne VIC, Australia
Gil Bozer
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Monash University, Melbourne VIC, Australia
Leon Levin
Affiliation:
Department of Marketing, Monash University, Melbourne VIC, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Within the traditional business organizational climate in which an executive coach operates, the identity of ‘the coached’ (coachee) can be quite clearly differentiated from the business identity. This is not the case within the world of family business, where the incumbent family business leader, the successor, the business and the family culture, are interwoven. This unique feature of family business means that, for executive coaching to be effective within the family business environment, a radically different approach to that used in traditional business environments must be adopted – namely, the consideration of what generally are thought of as noneconomic variables. This article represents a first attempt to effectively address the key and unique variables executive coaches need to know to work within the family business environment.

Keywords

family businessfamily firmsexecutive coachingsuccession managementsuccession planningsuccession failuresuccession decisionsfamily enterprisesfamily-controlled firmsleadership
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , July 2009 , pp. 378 - 391
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, RC, Mansi, SA and Reeb, DM (2003) Founding family ownership and the agency cost of debt, Journal of Financial Economics 68(2): 263–285.Google Scholar
Ashford, SJ (1989) Self-assessments in organizations: A literature review and integrative model, Research in Organizational Behavior 11: 133–174.Google Scholar
Astrachan, JH and Jaskiewicz, P. (2008) Emotional returns and emotional costs in privately held family businesses: advancing traditional business valuation, Family Business Review 21(2): 139–149.Google Scholar
Awoniyi, EA, Griego, OV and Morgan, GA (2002) Person-environment fit and transfer of training, International Journal of Training & Development 6(1): 25–35.Google Scholar
Baek-Kyoo, BJ (2005) Executive coaching: A conceptual framework from an integrative review of practice and research, Human Resource Development Review 4(4): 462–488.Google Scholar
Baldwin, TT and Ford, JK (1988) Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research, Personnel Psychology 41(1): 63–103.Google Scholar
Bandura, A (1982) The self and mechanisms of agency, In Suls, J (Eds) Psychological perspectives 1:3–39. Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale NJ.Google Scholar
Barach, JA and Ganitsky, JB (1995) Successful succession in family business, Family Business Review 8(2): 131–155.Google Scholar
Barnes, LB and Hershon, SA (1976) Transferring power in the family business, Harvard Business Review 07-August: 105–114.Google Scholar
Barnett, J (1999) Survey says family businesses face crisis, 01 19, University of Waterloo News Release, Waterloo.Google Scholar
Barnett, T and Kellermanns, FW (2006) Are we family and are we treated as family? Non-family employees' perception of justice in the family firm, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice 11: 837–854.Google Scholar
Barry, IP and Jacobs, G (2006) Business succession planning: A review of the evidence, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 13(3):326–350.Google Scholar
Bass, BM and Yammarino, FJ (1991) Congruence of self and others' leadership ratings of naval officers for understanding successful performance, Applied Psychology: An International Review 40(4): 437–454.Google Scholar
Bennedsen, M, Kasper, MN, Francisco, P and Wolfenzon, D (2006) Inside the family firm: The role of families in succession decisions and performance. NYU Stern School of Business, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper, Cambridge MA.Google Scholar
Blackmore, J, Thomson, P and Barty, K (2006) Principal selection: Homosociability, the search for security and the production of normalized principal identities, Education Management Administration & Leadership 34(3): 297–317.Google Scholar
Carlock, RS and Ward, JL (2001) Strategic planning for the family business: Parallel planning to unify the family and business, Palgrave, Houndsmill.Google Scholar
Chiaburu, DS and Marinova, SV (2005) What predicts skill transfer? An exploratory study of goal orientation, training, self-efficacy, and organizational supports, International Journal of Training & Development 9(2): 110–123.Google Scholar
Chrisman, JJ, Chua, JH and Sharma, P (2005) Trends and directions in the development of a strategic management theory of the family firm, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 29(5): 555–576.Google Scholar
Chua, JH, Chrisman, JJ and Sharma, P (1999) Defining the family business by behavior, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice 23(4): 19–39.Google Scholar
Davis, P (1983) Realizing the potential of the family business, Organizational Dynamics 12(1): 47–56.Google Scholar
De Massis, A, Chua, JH and Chrisman, JJ (2008) Factors preventing intra-family succession, Family Business Review 21(2):183–199.Google Scholar
Diedrich, RC (2001) Lessons learned in–and guidelines for–coaching executive teams, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 53(4): 238–239.Google Scholar
Dreux, DR IV and Brown, BM (1994) Marketing private banking services to family businesses, Internationaljournal of Bank Marketing 12(3): 26–35.Google Scholar
Dunemann, M and Barrett, R (2004) Family business and succession planning – A review of the literature, Family and Small Business Research Unit, Monash University, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Dunn, B (1995) Success themes in Scottish family enterprises, Family Business Review 8(1): 17–28.Google Scholar
Dyck, B, Mauws, M, Starke, FA and Mischke, GA (2002) Passing the baton: The importance of sequence, timing, technique, and communication in executive succession, Journal of Business Venturing 17:143–162.Google Scholar
Dyer, G (1986) Cultural change in family firms San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco CA.Google Scholar
Dyer, WG Jr. (2003) The Family: The missing variable in organizational research, Entrepreneurial Theory and Practice 27: 401–416.Google Scholar
Facteau, JD, Dobbins, GH, Russell, JEA, Ladd, RT and Kudusch, JD (1995) The influence of general perceptions of the training environment on pretraining motivation and perceived training transfer, Journal of Management 21(1): 1–25.Google Scholar
Fox, M, Nilakant, V and Hamilton, RT (1996) Managing succession in family-owned businesses. International Small Business Journal 15(1): 15–25.Google Scholar
Garcia-Alvarez, E, Lopez-Sintas, J and Gonzalvo, PS (2002) Socialization patterns of successors in first- to second-generation family businesses, Family Business Review 15(3):189–203.Google Scholar
Gardner, H (2006) Five minds for the future, Harvard Business School Press, Cambridge MA.Google Scholar
Gómez-Mejía, LR, Takács Haynes, K, Núñez-Nickel, M, Jacobson, KJL, Moyano-Fuentes, J (2007) Socio-emotional wealth and business risks in family-controlled firms: evidence from spanish olive oil mills. Administrative Science Quarterly 52: 106–137.Google Scholar
Gray, DE (2006) Executive coaching: Towards a dynamic alliance of psychotherapy and transformative learning processes, Management Learning 37(4): 475–497.Google Scholar
Gumuseli, AI and Ergin, B (2002) The manager's role in enhancing the transfer of training: A Turkish case study, International Journal of Training & Development 6(2): 80–97.Google Scholar
Hall, DT, Otazo, KL and Hollenbeck, GP (1999) Behind closed doors: What really happens in executive coaching, Organizational Dynamics 27(3): 39–43.Google Scholar
Handler, WC (1989) Methodological issues and considerations in studying family businesses, Family Business Review 2(3): 257–276.Google Scholar
Heck, RKZ (2004) A commentary on ‘entrepreneur-ship in family vs. non-Family firms: A resource-based analysis of the effect of organizational culture’, by Shaker A. Zahra, James C. Hayton, and Carlo Salvato, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 28(4): 383–389.Google Scholar
Heck, RKZ, Trent, ES and Kaye, K (1999) The prevalence of family business from a household sample, Family Business Review 12(3): 209–224.Google Scholar
Hunter, I and Wilson, M (2007). Origins and opportunity: 150 years of New Zealand entrepreneur-ship. Journal of Management and Organization, 13(4): 295–312.Google Scholar
Ip, B and Jacobs, G (2006) Business succession planning: A review of the evidence, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 13(3): 326–350.Google Scholar
International Coach Federation (2006) The ICF website, accessed at http://www.coachfederation.org/ICF/ on 22 July 2007.Google Scholar
Kampa-Kokesch, S and Anderson, MZ (2001) Executive coaching: A comprehensive review of the literature, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 53(4): 205–228.Google Scholar
Karra, N, Tracey, P and Phillips, N (2006) Altruism and agency in the family firm: Exploring the role of family, kinship, and ethnicity, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 30: 861–877.Google Scholar
Kellermanns, FW, Eddleston, KA, Barnett, T and Pearson, A (2008) An exploratory study of family member characteristics and involvement: Effects on entrepreneurial behavior in the family firm, Family Business Review 21(1): 1–14.Google Scholar
Kepner, E (1983) The family and the firm: A co-evolutionary perspective, Organizational Dynamics Summer: 57–70.Google Scholar
Kiel, F, Rimmer, E, Williams, K and Marilyn, D (1996) Coaching at the top, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 48(2): 67–77.Google Scholar
Kilburg, RR (1996) Toward a conceptual understanding and definition of executive coaching, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 48(2): 134–144.Google Scholar
Kilburg, RR (2000) Executive coaching: Developing managerial wisdom in a world of chaos, American Psychological Association, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Kimberley, N and Härtel, CEJ (2008) Employee/customer interface in a service crisis: Impact of senior management attributes and practices on customer evaluation, Journal of Management and Organization 14(2): 207–218.Google Scholar
Klein, SB, Astrachan, JH, Smyrnios, KX (2005) The F-PEC scale of family influence: Construction, validation, and further implication for theory, Entrepreneurial Theory and Practice 05: 321–339.Google Scholar
Koiranen, M (2002) Over 100 years of age but still entrepreneurially active in business: Exploring the values and family characteristics of old Finnish firms. Family Business Review 15(3): 175–187.Google Scholar
Kontoghiorghes, C (2001) Factors affecting training effectiveness in the context of the introduction of a new technology-A US case study, International Journal of Training & Development 5(4): 248–260.Google Scholar
Lansberg, I, Perrow, EL, and Rogolsky, S (1988) Family business as an emerging field, Family Business Review 1(1): 1–8.Google Scholar
Laske, OE (1999) An integrated model of developmental coaching, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 51(3): 139–159.Google Scholar
Le Breton-Miller, IL, Miller, D and Steier, LP (2004) Toward an integrative model of effective FOB succession, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 28(4):305–328.Google Scholar
Lee, J (2006) Impact of family relationships on attitudes of the second generation in family business, Family Business Review 19(3): 175–191.Google Scholar
Lee, KS, Lim, GH and Lim, WS (2003) Family business succession: Appropriation risk and choice of successor. Academy of Management Review 28(4): 657–666.Google Scholar
Levinson, H (1996) Executive coaching, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 48(2): 115–123.Google Scholar
Lim, DH (2000) Training design factors influencing transfer of training to the workplace within an international context, International Journal of Vocational Education and Training 52(2): 243–257.Google Scholar
Lim, DH (2001) The effect of work experience and job position on international learning transfer, International Journal of Vocational Education and Training 9(2): 59–74.Google Scholar
Littunen, H and Hyrsky, K (2000) The early entrepreneurial stage in finish family and non family firms, Family Business Review 13(1): 41–54.Google Scholar
Litz, RA (1995) The family business: Toward definitional clarity, Family Business Review 8(2): 71–81.Google Scholar
London, M and Smither, JW (2002) Feedback orientation, feedback culture, and the longitudinal performance management process, Human Resource Management Review 12: 81–100.Google Scholar
Lukaszewski, JE (1988) Behind the throne: How to coach and counsel executives, Training & Development Journal 42(10): 33–35.Google Scholar
Lumpkin, GT, Martin, W and Vaughn, M (2008) Family Orientation: Individual-Level Influences on Family Firm Outcomes, Family Business Review 21(2): 127–138.Google Scholar
Mazzola, P, Marchisio, G and Astrachan, J (2008) Strategic planning in family business: A powerful developmental tool for the next generation, Family Business Review 21(3): 239–258.Google Scholar
McCauley, CD and Hezlett, SA (2001) Individual development in the workplace, in Anderson, N, Ones, D, Sinangil, HK and Viswesvaran, C (Eds) Handbook of industrial, work, and organizational psychology 2: 313–335). Sage, London.Google Scholar
Mitchell, RK, Morse, EA and Sharma, P (2003) The transacting cognitions of non-family employees in the family business setting, Journal of Business Venturing 18: 533–551.Google Scholar
Moores, K and Barrett, M (2002). Learning family business: Paradoxes and pathways. Ashgate-Gower Asia Pacific.Google Scholar
Morris, M, Williams, R, Allen, J and Avila, R (1997) Correlates of success in family business transitions, Journal of Business Venturing 12(5): 385–401.Google Scholar
O'Brien, M (1997) Executive coaching, Supervision 58(4): 6–8.Google Scholar
Orenstein, RL (2002) Executive coaching, it's not just about the executive, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 38(3): 355–374.Google Scholar
Parasuraman, S, Purohit, YS, Godshalk, VM and Beutell, NJ (1996) Work and family variables, entrepreneurial career success, and psychological well-being, Journal of Vocational Behavior 48: 275–300.Google Scholar
Pemberton, C (2006) Coaching to Solutions: A manager's toolkit for performance delivery, Elsevier, Oxford.Google Scholar
Peredo, AM (2003) Nothing thicker than blood: Commentary on ‘Help one another, use one another: Toward an anthropology of family business’, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 27(4): 397–400.Google Scholar
Peterson, DB (1996) Executive coaching at work: The art of one-on-one change, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 48(2): 78–86.Google Scholar
Royer, S, Simons, R, Boyd, B and Rafferty, A (2008) Promoting family: a contingency model of family business succession, Family Business Review, 21(1): 15–30.Google Scholar
Ruona, WEA, Leimbach, M, Holton, EF and Bates, R (2002) The relationship between learner utility reactions and predicted learning transfer among trainees, International Journal of Training & Development 6(4): 218–228.Google Scholar
Santarelli, E and Lotti, F (2005) The survival of family firms: The importance of control and family ties, International Journal of the Economics of Business 12(2):183–192.Google Scholar
Sharma, P and Irving, PG (2005) Four basis of family business successor commitment: Antecedents and consequences, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice 29:13–33.Google Scholar
Sherman, S and Freas, A (2004) The wild west of executive coaching, Harvard Business Review 82(11): 82–90.Google Scholar
Smyrnios, KX, Romano, CA, Tanewski, GA, Karofsky, PI, Millen, R and Yilmaz, MR (2003) Work–Family Conflict: A study of American and Australian family businesses, Family Business Review 16(1): 35–51.Google Scholar
Stavrou, ET, Kleanthous, T and Anastasiou, T (2005) Leadership personality and firm culture during hereditary transitions in family firms: Model development and empirical investigation, Journal of Small Business Management 43(2):187–206.Google Scholar
Steier, LP, Chrisman, JJ and Chua, JH (2004) Entrepreneurial management and governance in family firms: An introduction, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice Summer: 295–303.Google Scholar
Sundaramurthy, C (2008) Sustaining Trust Within Family Businesses, Family Business Review 21(1): 89–102.Google Scholar
Tett, RP, Hal, GA, Bleier, A and Murphy, P (2000) Development and content validation of a ‘Hyperdimensional’ taxonomy of managerial competence, Human Performance 13(3): 205–251.Google Scholar
Van der Klink, KM, Gielen, E and Nauta, C (2001) Supervisory support as a major condition to enhance transfer, International Journal of Training & Development 5(1): 52–63.Google Scholar
Vera, CF and Dean, MA (2005) An examination of the challenges daughters face in family business succession, Family Business Review 18(4): 321–345.Google Scholar
Ward, JL (1988) The special role of strategic planning for family businesses, Family Business Review 1(2): 105–117.Google Scholar
Ward, JW (1987) Keeping the family business healthy, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco CA.Google Scholar
Westhead, P and Cowling, M (1998) Family firm research: The need for a methodological rethink, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice 23(1): 31–56.Google Scholar
Witherspoon, R and White, RP (1996) Executive coaching: A continuum of roles, Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research 48(2): 124–133.Google Scholar
Yammarino, FJ and Atwater, LE (1993) Understanding self-perception accuracy: Implications for human resource management, Human Resource Management 32(2–3): 231–247.Google Scholar