Abstract Background The succession process of a family firm is associated with a number of challenges, and hence a potential for conflicts is strongly pronounced. However, succession is of utmost importance for a family firm, as it is the only way to avoid a company closure in the long run. Previous literature has already extensively researched the phenomena of conflicts in family firms. However, there is a lack of research that looks from a multi-perspective lens into the context of succession and post-succession conflicts. Therefore, in the present research, we examine how family businesses experience and cope conflicts that appear after a successfully mastered intrafamily succession. Purpose This study aims to advance the understanding of conflicts in family firms related explicitly to the context of successions and post-successions. Hence, the thesis aims to determine how conflicts that appear in these contexts are experienced and how they are coped with. Method The study follows a qualitative methodological approach and an inductive analysis. The sample consists of three companies and 14 research respondents, and the data was collected with semi-structured qualitative interviews. Afterwards, the data was coded, and the emerging patterns and themes have been formulated and presented with a general model. Doing so, the focus was on patterns of succession- and post-succession-related conflicts and their coping strategies. Conclusion Our findings reveal that succession and post-succession-related conflicts are experienced as evoked intangible and provoked tangible conflicts and these conflicts are consciously as well as unconsciously coped with. Furthermore, our findings suggest that succession and post-succession family firm conflicts appear as conflict loops. Hence, the coping mechanisms identified and presented are helpful to solve a conflict, but the loop can hardly be escaped.

Background: Succession is not only a significant moment but also a major challenge for a family business’s life. The new CEO’s performances can play a critical role in the post-succession process, which consists of a series of strategic changes. Although the new CEO and various stakeholders can influence the post-succession process to different extents, previous literature has shown a lack of focus on the interactions between the new CEO and multiple other stakeholders in the post-succession process. To understand both the context filled with organizational changes and the interactions between individuals, the lens of sensemaking can be applied for the research.  Purpose: This study attempts to explore the perspectives of the new CEO and multiple other stakeholders regarding the strategic changes happening in the post-succession process in a family business through the lens of sensemaking.  Methodology: This thesis is based on a case study. Data was collected from previous literature, semi-structured interviews with 10 interviewees and public information. NVivo and manual coding were applied in data analysis.  Findings: The sensemaking map as the main finding shows that strategic changes in the case include two stages, the formulation stage and the implementation stage. Sensehiding conducted by the new CEO at the beginning of implementation classifies strategic changes into covert and overt type. The new CEO was the only one actively involved in the formulation stage. The managers and grassroot employees performed actively in the implementation stage instead, where the new CEO was rarely involved. The findings also analyzed the new CEO’s characteristics to illustrate the formulation of strategic changes centered on the new CEO.

隨著資訊科技的發達，資訊成長的速度日以倍計，對於大量且片斷的資料，社會網路分析(Social Network Analysis)提供我們可能的研究方法。社會網路主要是由節點以及節點彼此間的連結所形成的網路結構，透過社會網路分析和連結預測理論，我們可以從微觀與巨觀的切入角度，來進行龐大資料量的政府人事異動資料庫進行研究分析。本論文研究，將政府人事異動資料庫中的異動記錄建構為人物與職務兩類不同的社會網路結構，並透過社會網路分析以及連結預測，來發掘人物與不同職務之間的相互影響性，並進一步分析在特定職務的實際接任人選上，實際被影響的因素為何。實驗結果呈現本研究所設計出的模型，對於政府人事異動的互動關係在不同角度的觀察上有所幫助，也從中可以發現在實際接任人選上的考量上，歷任人選的歷任職務有相當程度的影響性，並瞭解社會網路分析與連結預測在實際情境應用下的可能性與限制性。 / Information grows up in very fast way with the advancement in information technology. SNA (Social Network Analysis) provides the possible research ways for the large number of fragmentary information. Social network is the network structure which constructed by the links of each nodes in it. Through SNA (Social Network Analysis) and Link Prediction theory, we can investigate government official's succession database with huge amount of data from micro and macro perspectives. The objective of this study is the construction of two different types of person and position social network structures and the exploration of the interaction between the person and position nodes through link prediction theory. We also discover the impact factors for actual appointee of specific position in further analysis. The study result shows the design model helps us to observe the interaction in government official's succession from different perspectives. We found that is great influence of successive positions of successive candidates in consideration of actual appointee.

L’objet de la présente recherche vise à donner un éclairage théorique, empirique et pratique de l’après-transmission du point de vue du cédant, qui a transmis sa PME saine ou apparemment saine, pour un motif autre que la retraite. A la suite de l’étude d’un cas pilote, la recherche s’oriente vers l’investigation de l’après-transmission volontaire du cédant mature en PME, comme opportunité de rebond pluridimensionnel. Le cadre conceptuel procède des théories du développement psychosocial à mi-vie, du développement du style cognitif de l’adulte, des stratégies de réinvestissement et du concept d’identité plurielle. Fondés sur une étude de cas multiples composée de huit unités d’analyse, les résultats résident dans la compréhension de la dynamique de rebond du cédant mature en PME (1), la modélisation du processus de rebond associé à l’évolution du statut du cédant-réinvestisseur (2) et la formulation d’une taxonomie des trajectoires individuelles de rebond (3). Au final, l’après-transmission du cédant mature en PME se révèle être un rebond au singulier pluriel. / The aim of the present research is to provide a theoretical, empirical and practical exploration of post- succession, from the perspective of the transferor who has transferred a healthy or apparently healthy SME for a reason other than retirement. Following a pilot case study, the research focused on the investigation of the voluntary post-succession of the mature SME transferor, as an opportunity for pluridimensional rebound. The conceptual framework emerges from theories of midlife psychosocial development, adult cognitive style development and reinvestment strategy and the concept of multiple identities. Based on a study of multiple cases, using eight units of analysis, the results lead to the understanding of the rebound dynamics of the mature SME transferor (1), modelling of the rebound process associated with the development of the status of transferor/reinvestor (2) and the formulation of a taxonomy of individual rebound trajectories (3). Finally, the post- succession of the mature SME transferor is revealed to be a “singular-plural” rebound.

隨著個人電腦與網際網路科技的逐漸成熟，網路上每日都有巨量資料（Big Data）產生。近年來隨著社群網站的崛起，如何處理這些巨量的社群資料，並有效率地提供出有意義的社群資訊，將是這幾年社群網路領域研究的重點。每當內閣改組消息一出的時候，各政府部門單位的官職繼任官員，都會成為社會公眾關注的議題。本研究將使用中華民國政府官職資料庫，以社群網路分析與連結預測理論為基礎，並透過資料庫中所提供的資料，隨著不同評選時間點以及評選官職建置出網路。擷取網路的資訊，利用本文所提出的多面向模型（Multiperspective Model）產生多種觀點的分數。接著使用評選模型（Evaluation Model）將各個觀點的分數整合，進行某官員繼任某官職可能性計算，然後輸出官職繼任官員的評選清單（Evaluation List）。最後對輸出的評選清單分別對空降繼任狀況、各級上司對於繼任人選決定影響力、單一觀點與多觀點評選方式的評選結果、多觀點評選方式下重視的觀點，以及官職繼任成因五項分析進行探討。 / With the well development of personal PC and the Internet technology, there is a huge amount of data (Big Data) being generated on the Internet every day. Because of the debut and rise of social websites, how to deal with such a huge amount of community information as well as efficiently provide meaningful data to the public has been an explored main issue in the field of social network research in recent years. When the news about cabinet changing was released, the successor of various government departments will become the actively concerned topic for the public. This research applied a government position transaction database as the elements to build the network, which based on Social Network Analysis and Link Prediction theory with different evaluation position and evaluation time. Captured information in the network was used to generate the scores of multiple perspectives according to the Multiperspective Model. Then using the Evaluation Model, which can integrate each observed perspective, and calculate the probability of an official succeeds of a position. Finally the network could output the evaluation list of position successor. In the end, the outcome of the evaluation list was applied to analyze and discuss the following 5 research questions: The situation that the successor isn’t from the unit of successive position, the influence of all levels superiors on the succession decision, result of evaluative methods of a single view and multiple perspective, the important perspective of Multiperspective evaluation, and causal relationship of official successor.