Successor selection and strategic performance in family businesses: the influence of gender, family ties, education, and experience

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how gender, family ties, education, and experience influence employees' acceptance of successors in family businesses and how these perceptions affect strategic performance. Grounded in Role Congruity Theory, Institutional Theory, and Human Capital Theory, it aims to develop an employee-centric framework explaining successor legitimacy. Through qualitative interviews with 52 employees across eight countries, the study examines how competence signals — such as education and experience — interact with kinship and gender to shape acceptance, offering theoretical and practical insights for inclusive, merit-based succession planning that promotes sustainability and equitable leadership transitions in family enterprises. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative, interpretive research design using semi-structured online interviews with 52 employees from family businesses across eight countries. Purposive sampling was employed to include both family and non-family employees with diverse gender, education, and experience profiles. Data were analysed using a hybrid inductive–deductive thematic approach, combining open coding with theory-driven interpretation guided by Role Congruity Theory, Institutional Theory, and Human Capital Theory. NVivo software supported data organisation and coding. Reliability and validity were ensured through triangulation, intercoder reliability checks, and member validation, enabling a rigorous examination of employee perceptions of successor legitimacy and acceptance. Findings The findings reveal that employees prioritise education and experience over kinship when evaluating successors, emphasising competence as the key determinant of legitimacy. While family ties convey loyalty and continuity, they are insufficient without demonstrated capability. Female successors are more accepted when they possess advanced education, external experience, and professional credibility. Interestingly, some female employees showed ambivalence toward female leaders, reflecting internalised gender norms. Acceptance levels also varied by cultural context—employees in egalitarian societies valued merit, while those in high power-distance cultures relied on familial legitimacy. Overall, succession acceptance emerged as a multidimensional, culturally influenced process balancing tradition and professionalism. Research limitations/implications This study has several limitations. First, the sample size, though diverse, is limited to 52 employees from eight countries, restricting the generalisability of findings. Second, as interviews were conducted online, the depth of interaction and the ability to capture nonverbal insights were constrained. Third, cultural representation across countries was uneven, limiting systematic cross-national comparison. Fourth, the study does not differentiate between industry sectors, which may influence perceptions of gender and succession. Finally, as a qualitative study, findings are interpretive rather than causal. Future research could employ larger, cross-sectoral, and longitudinal designs to explore cultural, industrial, and generational variations in successor acceptance. Practical implications This study offers actionable insights for family business owners, successors, and HR professionals. It emphasises the need for transparent, merit-based succession planning that prioritises competence over kinship or gender. Family firms should invest in leadership development and mentoring programmes, particularly for female successors, to enhance legitimacy through education and experience. Awareness and bias training can help address unconscious gender biases among employees. In high-power-distance cultures, formal endorsement from senior family members may strengthen acceptance, whereas in egalitarian contexts, clear performance criteria are essential. Implementing inclusive succession strategies enhances employee trust, organisational continuity, and long-term sustainability in family enterprises. Social implications This study highlights the broader social importance of promoting gender equality and meritocracy in family business leadership. By revealing how biases rooted in culture and tradition influence successor acceptance, it encourages a societal shift toward inclusive leadership and equal opportunities for women. Empowering qualified female successors helps challenge patriarchal norms, foster workplace diversity, and model gender-balanced leadership for future generations. Culturally sensitive strategies promoting fairness and competence-based succession can strengthen social cohesion, reduce gender-based discrimination, and contribute to sustainable economic development by ensuring that leadership talent, regardless of gender or family status, is fully recognised and utilised. Originality/value This study makes a novel contribution by introducing an employee-centric perspective to family business succession research, an area traditionally dominated by owner and successor viewpoints. It develops the Family Business Employee Succession Preference Model, integrating Role Congruity, Institutional, and Human Capital theories to explain how gender, kinship, and competence jointly shape successor legitimacy. Incorporating cross-cultural insights reveals how national culture moderates acceptance patterns, highlighting cultural nuances in gender bias and perceptions of leadership. The study advances theoretical understanding of succession as a socially constructed, multidimensional process and offers practical pathways toward inclusive, merit-based, and sustainable leadership transitions.