The purpose of this paper is to explore the under-researched family-external business succession process. It makes use of entrepreneurship theory in order to conceptualize this temporal process. This allows for an operationalization of entrepreneurial functions and tracking them during the two main phases of such processes. This study provides a starting point for further endeavors into researching family-external succession processes.,This paper is based on an explorative, quasi-longitudinal, qualitative and multiple case-study approach. It became possible to create trust with stakeholders in three family firms and to conduct face-to-face interviews with a total of 12 interviewees, generating over 300 transcript pages. The case interviews were validated through two expert interviews. A priori research propositions were tested and modified, if deemed necessary.,Entrepreneurial functions during the two main phases of the process seem to be carried out and aligned depending on several influencing factors: delegation of responsibilities from owner-managers to qualified employees; incumbent owner-managers being heavily involved in the succession’s facilitation and neglecting some entrepreneurial functions; and as a result new owner-managers being forced to prioritize certain functions in the second phase.,This paper benefits from a rather unique access to three family firms undergoing succession in the DACH-region. Therefore, it became possible to study the family-external succession process by including various stakeholders involved. Such an inclusion of perspectives has been suggested by family business scholars for a long time.

中文翻译：

---

在业务继承流程中实现新的企业家平衡的方法

本文的目的是探索研究不足的家族-外部业务继承过程。它利用企业家理论来概念化这个时间过程。这可以实现企业家职能的运作并在此类过程的两个主要阶段对其进行跟踪。这项研究为进一步研究家庭-外部继承过程提供了起点。本文基于探索性，准纵向，定性和多案例研究的方法。可以与三个家族企业的利益相关者建立信任，并与总共12位受访者进行面对面访谈，生成300多个笔录页面。通过两次专家访谈对案例访谈进行了验证。对先验研究命题进行了测试和修改，在该过程的两个主要阶段中，企业家职能似乎是根据几个影响因素来执行和调整的：从所有者-经理到合格员工的责任下放；现有的所有者-经理大量参与了继任者的促进工作，而忽略了某些企业家职能；结果，新的所有者-经理被迫在第二阶段优先考虑某些职能。，本文受益于DACH区域内三家正在接班的家族企业的独特访问权。因此，通过纳入各种利益相关者来研究家庭-外部继承过程成为可能。家族企业学者长期以来就提出了这样的观点观点。在该过程的两个主要阶段中，企业家职能似乎是根据几个影响因素来执行和调整的：从所有者经理到合格员工的责任下放；现有的所有者-经理大量参与了继任者的促进工作，而忽略了某些企业家职能；结果，新的所有者-经理被迫在第二阶段中优先考虑某些职能。，本文受益于DACH区域内三家正在接班的家族企业的独特访问权。因此，通过纳入各种利益相关者来研究家庭-外部继承过程成为可能。家族企业学者长期以来就提出了这样的观点观点。在该过程的两个主要阶段中，企业家职能似乎是根据几个影响因素来执行和调整的：从所有者经理到合格员工的责任下放；现有的所有者-经理大量参与了继任者的促进工作，而忽略了某些企业家职能；结果，新的所有者-经理被迫在第二阶段优先考虑某些职能。，本文受益于DACH区域内三家正在接班的家族企业的独特访问权。因此，通过纳入各种利益相关者来研究家庭-外部继承过程成为可能。家族企业学者长期以来就提出了这样的观点观点。