Long-term viability through Succession: Cultural Transmission and Power Transfer Mechanisms in Non-Profit Organizations

Purpose: This study investigates how cultural non-profit organizations ensure long-term viability through effective succession planning in emerging market contexts, examining how cultural heritage NPOs balance preservation imperatives with innovation needs during succession processes.Study design/methodology/approach: A qualitative case study examined the "Rachidia," a Tunisian musical institution founded in 1934. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews (N = 20), analysis of institutional documents (1934-2022), and non-participant observation (2019-2022). Analysis employed thematic coding and constant comparison techniques within an interdisciplinary framework integrating family business succession theory, organizational identity theory, and cultural transmission research.Sample and data: The Rachidia demonstrates 90 years of longevity as the guardian of Tunisia's musical heritage, operating with an elected board, 4-6 permanent staff, a 50-member musical troupe, and an annual budget of 200,000 Tunisian dinars. Participants included current leadership (6), potential successors (4), long-term members (6), and external stakeholders (4).Results: Three interconnected mechanisms enable successful NPO succession: formalized succession planning combining democratic election and strategic co-optation, institutionalized cultural transmission processes, and identity regulation mechanisms that mediate preservation-innovation tensions through identity stratification.Originality/value: This research extends succession theory to non-profit organizations, introducing a collaborative succession model and "succession constellation" framework that demonstrates organizational identity as a productive regulatory mechanism in mission-driven institutions.Research limitations/implications: While focused on a single Tunisian case, the study provides transferable theoretical frameworks for NPO succession dynamics across emerging economies with limited institutional support structures.