Table A2 Thematic evidence –... | Emerald Publishing

Table A2

Thematic evidence – illustrative quotes

Illustrative quotes	Sub-themes	Themes
“He [father] did ask me when I was about 24 or 25, before [younger brother] took the role of CEO, would I take up that role. But I felt, to be honest with you, it's an industry- it's very male-driven […] and I was so young that I knew I just wouldn't get the respect from the males […]. So, I didn't have the confidence back then to be able to take on that role.” (Grainne) “… I wanted to give [brother] a chance. I think it's just because of the sequence of age that I was here first in one way. And that the role I had was just overall, whereas [brother] came in as a sales rep and he can only show himself as a sales figure cause there is only so much you can sell. So you know he hasn't got to show his talent.” (Aoibhinn)	Opting out or discounted from succession	Too Much Invisibility – Exclusion
“There was very little discussion … So I think it was more or less said ‘Thinking that [your brother] might be the CEO, are you OK with that?’. And I said ‘yeah, I am, because it's not something that I'd want’.” (Brigid) “It was kind of a sexist thing … the boys would work in the warehouse … I think if I asked when I was 15 ‘Can I work in the warehouse?’ he'd [i.e. dad] be like ‘No way. You're not working there.’” (Saoirse)	Not groomed for succession
“I did some hours here and there, some summers, a couple of hours in the office, but I would never have done the-the proper full blown work that all the guys [brother and male cousins] did.” (Eimear) “I don't know if it's being a male or what it is. He was made to go down onto the floor for six months so he had to work on the cold store line which is the best thing ever.” (Bronagh)	Treated differently than male next gen
“I might have to do things a little bit differently [than a man] … there are people who would query your decisions because you are a woman.” (Caoimhe) “Sometimes that can be a little bit more difficult when, you know, especially when there's somebody who's maybe 20 years your senior and they've been here for 40 years and you're kind of reprimanding them … I don't want them to think “Oh who does she think she is?” (Saoirse)	Visible leaders	Too Much Visibility – Trouble
“At the time, it was getting very busy, I said ‘Guys, this is nuts, I'm doing quotes by day, I'm doing tenders at night, you know’. I said ‘can we get someone in the sales admin to do the role with me?’ And I always remember [non-family male CEO] kind of going ‘do you think there's a full-time job in it?’ … So I said ‘let's get someone in and see how it goes'. And now we've got two people in sales admin and I'm still pretty busy doing what I do. So they kind of went ‘Wow, we just didn't realise’.” (Aoibhinn) “Neither of them [brothers] have worked outside the family business.…where[as] I actually have worked in different places. So I have the two sides you know. And often I do kind of say things like ‘well in other businesses they would do it this way’; and they kind of look at me kind of blank-faced because they've never experienced that. So they might be a little bit more blinkered, a little bit more insular, maybe, than I would be.” (Saoirse)	Vocalizing ideas with regard to the business
“You know it's the voice of the women in the company as well that I think is required and maybe without that they wouldn't have that consideration (with regard to raising female centric issues)” (Roisin) “[flexibility for staff is] something that I like to think that we brought in here because we know what it's like juggling things as women because no matter what you say it falls back on our plate” (Caoimhe)	Disrupting the status quo
“When [younger brother] took on the role I was delighted because it was a weight off my shoulders … And I'm sure [older sister] felt probably exactly the same way. We worked very closely then as a sibling partnership the three of us working together supporting [younger brother] in his role” (Gráinne) “I'd say to him [brother] ‘gosh I don't know about that. Do you think we should do that?’ You know we'd go off and have a separate conversation about something and we'd work it out and we'd say you know maybe this time we'll not do it for whatever reason or we ‘let's go for it’.” (Brigid) “It's like we've shared the responsibility between the three of us and we certainly support [younger brother] in all decisions.” (Saoirse)	Power in partnership with male next gen	Balancing (In)visibility – Acceptance
“Sometimes I would make decisions and, I'd know, I'd have it filtered to a fine art as to the guys would have no problem with this.” (Róisín) “We both understand how the other thinks and we have totally different skill sets. So that is how it works. He's totally into sales and new product development and relationships with customers and everything. I don't like any of that. And then I deal with, say, more operational side, HR side, IT side, all the accounting side. The stuff he just does not like so.” (Eimear)	Humility in partnership with male next gen	Balancing (In)visibility – Acceptance

Illustrative quotes	Sub-themes	Themes
“He [father] did ask me when I was about 24 or 25, before [younger brother] took the role of CEO, would I take up that role. But I felt, to be honest with you, it's an industry- it's very male-driven […] and I was so young that I knew I just wouldn't get the respect from the males […]. So, I didn't have the confidence back then to be able to take on that role.” (Grainne)“… I wanted to give [brother] a chance. I think it's just because of the sequence of age that I was here first in one way. And that the role I had was just overall, whereas [brother] came in as a sales rep and he can only show himself as a sales figure cause there is only so much you can sell. So you know he hasn't got to show his talent.” (Aoibhinn)	Opting out or discounted from succession	Too Much Invisibility – Exclusion
“There was very little discussion … So I think it was more or less said ‘Thinking that [your brother] might be the CEO, are you OK with that?’. And I said ‘yeah, I am, because it's not something that I'd want’.” (Brigid)“It was kind of a sexist thing … the boys would work in the warehouse … I think if I asked when I was 15 ‘Can I work in the warehouse?’ he'd [i.e. dad] be like ‘No way. You're not working there.’” (Saoirse)	Not groomed for succession
“I did some hours here and there, some summers, a couple of hours in the office, but I would never have done the-the proper full blown work that all the guys [brother and male cousins] did.” (Eimear)“I don't know if it's being a male or what it is. He was made to go down onto the floor for six months so he had to work on the cold store line which is the best thing ever.” (Bronagh)	Treated differently than male next gen
“I might have to do things a little bit differently [than a man] … there are people who would query your decisions because you are a woman.” (Caoimhe)“Sometimes that can be a little bit more difficult when, you know, especially when there's somebody who's maybe 20 years your senior and they've been here for 40 years and you're kind of reprimanding them … I don't want them to think “Oh who does she think she is?” (Saoirse)	Visible leaders	Too Much Visibility – Trouble
“At the time, it was getting very busy, I said ‘Guys, this is nuts, I'm doing quotes by day, I'm doing tenders at night, you know’. I said ‘can we get someone in the sales admin to do the role with me?’ And I always remember [non-family male CEO] kind of going ‘do you think there's a full-time job in it?’ … So I said ‘let's get someone in and see how it goes'. And now we've got two people in sales admin and I'm still pretty busy doing what I do. So they kind of went ‘Wow, we just didn't realise’.” (Aoibhinn)“Neither of them [brothers] have worked outside the family business.…where[as] I actually have worked in different places. So I have the two sides you know. And often I do kind of say things like ‘well in other businesses they would do it this way’; and they kind of look at me kind of blank-faced because they've never experienced that. So they might be a little bit more blinkered, a little bit more insular, maybe, than I would be.” (Saoirse)	Vocalizing ideas with regard to the business
“You know it's the voice of the women in the company as well that I think is required and maybe without that they wouldn't have that consideration (with regard to raising female centric issues)” (Roisin)“[flexibility for staff is] something that I like to think that we brought in here because we know what it's like juggling things as women because no matter what you say it falls back on our plate” (Caoimhe)	Disrupting the status quo
“When [younger brother] took on the role I was delighted because it was a weight off my shoulders … And I'm sure [older sister] felt probably exactly the same way. We worked very closely then as a sibling partnership the three of us working together supporting [younger brother] in his role” (Gráinne)“I'd say to him [brother] ‘gosh I don't know about that. Do you think we should do that?’ You know we'd go off and have a separate conversation about something and we'd work it out and we'd say you know maybe this time we'll not do it for whatever reason or we ‘let's go for it’.” (Brigid)“It's like we've shared the responsibility between the three of us and we certainly support [younger brother] in all decisions.” (Saoirse)	Power in partnership with male next gen	Balancing (In)visibility – Acceptance
“Sometimes I would make decisions and, I'd know, I'd have it filtered to a fine art as to the guys would have no problem with this.” (Róisín)“We both understand how the other thinks and we have totally different skill sets. So that is how it works. He's totally into sales and new product development and relationships with customers and everything. I don't like any of that. And then I deal with, say, more operational side, HR side, IT side, all the accounting side. The stuff he just does not like so.” (Eimear)	Humility in partnership with male next gen	Balancing (In)visibility – Acceptance

Source(s): Author's own creation