Succession planning practices and succession success in family-owned businesses: the role of leadership style as internal branding mechanism

Purpose Although leadership style plays a critical role in succession planning practices and succession success, empirical examination of its influence on the relationship between succession planning and success of succession in family-owned SMEs has received little attention in the literature. This study examines the interactive effect of the various types of leadership styles as internal branding mechanisms on the success of succession in family-owned SMEs. Design/methodology/approach We analyzed the data from 124 managers/CEOs of family-owned SMEs that have at least transitioned beyond one incumbent leader using SPSS Version 29. Findings The result shows that succession planning practices are positively associated with succession success. It further shows that leaders who brand themselves as transformational and participatory leaders have a positive, significant interactive effect on the relationship between succession planning activities and succession success. The positive relationship between succession planning activities and succession success is dampened when managers rely too heavily on a transactional leadership style. Both autocratic and laissez-faire types of leadership have no significant interactive effect on the relationship. Originality/value The study is distinct from past studies. Until now, knowledge about the interactive effect of the various leadership styles as internal branding mechanisms on the relationship between succession planning practices like coaching, mentoring, job rotation and training and succession success in family-owned businesses remains limited. Theoretically, the study is pioneering in the sense that it is among the first studies that extends internal branding to succession planning in family-owned businesses. The study enlightened our understanding of how the various leadership styles and internal branding mechanism influence succession success in family-owned SMEs.