The analysis of successors’ competencies in family enterprises with the use of grey system theory

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the relationships between the competency structure of the successors of family enterprises in Poland and dimensions like gender, self-awareness of development, taking their ideas into consideration in shaping the strategy of the firm and the size of the firm.

Design/methodology/approach

Grey relational analysis was employed to analyse the empirical material in the paper. The results of the analysis served a more thorough qualitative analysis of the subject of the family enterprise successors’ competencies by comparing them to theoretical assumptions and other research within this scope.

Findings

In the paper, the relation was shown between the structure of family firm successors’ competencies and the variables such as gender, development self-awareness, taking their ideas into consideration in shaping the strategy of the firm and the size of the firm.

Research limitations/implications

The research was conducted in Poland and therefore its generalisation has limited scope resulting from the cultural and historical conditioning.

Practical implications

The results of the research may serve the creation of tools and methods of succession process management in a family enterprise.

Originality/value

The paper presents the possibilities of employing grey system theory in the research remaining within the scope of the subject of succession in family enterprises, as a tool complementing qualitative analysis.

Citation

Mierzwiak, R. and Więcek-Janka, E. (2015), "The analysis of successors’ competencies in family enterprises with the use of grey system theory", Grey Systems: Theory and Application, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 302-312. https://doi.org/10.1108/GS-03-2015-0007