Assessing the Successor Generation in Family Businesses

When considering the succession process in family businesses, it is often useful to inquire into the relationships among all members of the successor generation: sons, daughters, and their spouses. Do members of the successor generation show evidence of autonomy and individuation, healthy sibling bonds, and acceptance of talent and leadership from within their generation? Do unresolved rivalries and dependency on parents paralyze their ability to cooperate? Using a Bowenian family systems approach, three important dimensions of differentiation in the successor generation are discussed. Several case vignettes illustrate the value of an assessment intervention.