Blood or Water? Non-biological family successors in a family business succession

Family business research on succession has relied on the conventional parent-child relationship, which is often challenged by modern family structures. Our research looks at a common familial phenomenon – remarriage and step-children – and its impact on family business succession considerations. Through a longitudinal qualitative case study, we draw insights from Alpha, a family business that started in 1991, combining interviews, observations, and field trips. Drawing from the three-step succession process (Daspit et al., 2016) and paternalist discussion of family business founders (Koiranen, 2003), we reveal the unconventional relational dynamics and their influence on the commitment of the stepfamily, the employees, and the founder of the family business. This research broadens the existing conversation of modern family dynamics’ influence on family business succession.