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The New CEO and the Post‐succession Process: An Integration of Past Research and Future Directions
Author(s) -
Ma Shenghui,
Seidl David,
Guérard Stéphane
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of management reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.475
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-2370
pISSN - 1460-8545
DOI - 10.1111/ijmr.12048
Subject(s) - dismissal , process (computing) , context (archaeology) , ecological succession , chief executive officer , perspective (graphical) , management , business , political science , public relations , economics , computer science , history , law , ecology , archaeology , biology , operating system , artificial intelligence
The early tenure of a new Chief Executive Officer ( CEO ), also referred to as ‘the CEO post‐succession process’, is a critical phase in the history of an organization, because it is associated with a high rate of organizational failure and CEO dismissal. Research on this important process has grown rapidly over the last decade, focusing particularly on the question of how the match between the CEO , the organization and the environment is created in the post‐succession process. Yet, the respective literature is highly fragmented, which suggests that there is a need for a systematic review and evaluation of existing works. Adopting the conceptual vocabulary of the practice perspective, the authors review this literature in terms of what it reveals about (1) the practices adopted by new CEO s and other actors involved in the post‐succession process, (2) the properties of the key practitioners involved, and (3) the practical context of the post‐succession process. This review suggests that new CEO s are primarily involved in practices aimed at integrating the new CEO into the organization, and practices aimed at realigning the organization with its environment. The important insights that the existing literature affords are identified, and the gaps in this body of research are highlighted. On this basis, a concrete research agenda is developed in terms of topics, methodologies and theories.