Why some successors come back: Pathways to engagement in family businesses

Family firm succession is often viewed as a linear path from childhood exposure to eventual leadership. For many next-generation leaders, that journey is more complex. Drawing on a qualitative case study of 25 multigenerational family firms, this article focuses on 17 successors who demonstrated affective commitment to the family business, even after periods of withdrawal or disengagement. We show how successor engagement can unfold unevenly over time, shaped by early exposure to the family firm, disrupted by withdrawal intentions, and renewed through emotional turning points. We identify three pathways to engagement through affective commitment: early positive exposure, a return prompted by family persuasion, and a self-driven return after a period of time away. The key to the latter two pathways is revelatory incidents, personally meaningful events that reshape how successors see their role in the family and the business. By highlighting how engagement evolves across life stages, this article offers practical insights for families, advisors, and educators seeking to retain or reengage successors. Understanding these pathways can help family firms support long-term continuity, even after initial signs of early withdrawal.