Our Voices, Our Stories: The Role of Gender in Family Business Succession in Canada

This qualitative study focused on the role of gender across leadership, succession, and transition planning within family-owned businesses. With growing calls to understand the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles and succession strategies of family-owned businesses, this research was timely and relevant. From a business education perspective, academic institutions have an opportunity to intentionally create programs designed to expand the pool of students who consider entrepreneurship a viable career alternative. Scholars and practitioners alike are exploring the environment of family enterprises as an ideal setting in which to understand entrepreneurial learning due to the embeddedness of students in both family and educational systems. Utilizing narrative inquiry and narrative interviews, this research explored the interplay of gender, leadership, and family business systems engaged in succession and transition processes. This report presents findings and key narratives drawn from 10 research participant interviews with members of women-led family businesses. The findings, which reveal the impact of gender within and across family and business systems regarding leadership and succession processes, may advance entrepreneurship education, the efficiency and connectedness of families who are in business together, and the trusted advisors who serve alongside these important family business systems.

Author dc:creator

• Schooler, Dawn

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Etmanski, Catherine

• Faculty of management

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/ir-19767

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/28153