The study is published in Journal of Small Business Management and postulates that the CEO-related human capital possessed by the successor allows them to identify and rectify any misalignment between the organization and its external environment, thereby enabling them to steer the firm towards improved performance, particularly in instances where the misfit is pronounced in the context of a turnaround situation. The study draws on both quantitative and qualitative research methods, incorporating data analysis of 804 German firms and 31 in-depth interviews, to validate these postulations and make a contribution to both contingency and upper echelon theories.
The article is published with an Open Access license agreement and can be accessed for free under the following link: https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2022.2161554