The Dynamics of Management Succession: A Model of Chief Executive Succession in the Small Family Firm

The succession of the chief executive of any organisation is a critical event. In 1971 a study revealed that in the UK, management succession was almost equal to financial failure as the major cause of firms ceasing to exist as independent organisations. Dun and Bradstreet calculated that in the USA, 45% of all business failures are caused through the appointment of incompetent managers to chief executive positions.