Role of emotional intelligence in transgenerational succession among family businesses in Nairobi County
Date
2024
Authors
Kairu, I.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
Transgenerational succession has been a major concern for many businesses within the world due to conflicts between the owners, their families and management teams. This has consistently derailed the operations of the institutions. In Kenya, more than 70% of businesses are family-owned, but only 10%-15% survive past two generations, hence there is need to understand what can help to improve the succession within these family firms. This survey sought to establish the role of emotional intelligence during transgenerational succession in family businesses in Nairobi County. This was studied within the lenses of key emotional intelligence aspects; self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and self-regulation in transgenerational succession in family businesses. The research was premised on the social exchange theory, emotional contagion theory and the family systems theory. The study used a positivist paradigm and a descriptive research design in the investigation. Population of the survey was the registered (530) firms under the Association of Family-Owned Businesses. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of participants with only firms that have undergone transgenerational succession being included in the research. A sample of 228 firms that have gone through succession was considered for the research. A structured research questionnaire was utilized in the data collection with both drop and pick method as well as use of Google forms. The study instrument was pretested to determine its reliability and validity. Analysis of the study data was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed that there was a weak positive correlation between emotional intelligence (i.e., self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, self-regulation) and transgenerational succession. Regression results revealed that overall, there was a positive and statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence and transgenerational succession in family businesses. However, the relationship with individual measures of emotional intelligence offered varied results. Self-awareness, self-management and self-regulation had a positive and significant effect on the transgenerational succession in family businesses. On the other hand, social-awareness did not have a significant effect on transgenerational succession in the family businesses studied. Based on these conclusions, the study recommended that family businesses should create a supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings. Additionally, the study recommends that family businesses should prioritize the establishment of clear protocols to facilitate positive resolution of disputes as well as promote trust and confidence among stakeholders during transgenerational succession. The study notes that emotional intelligence may have varying long term effects and therefore recommends longitudinal studies tracking family businesses over multiple generations.
Keywords: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness and Self-Regulation,
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Full - text thesis
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Citation
Kairu, I. (2024). Role of emotional intelligence in transgenerational succession among family businesses in Nairobi County [Strathmore University]. http://hdl.handle.net/11071/15639