Russia's Succession Paradox

One of the main issues in Russian business, both from a political and organizational perspective, is succession. Shekshnia and Kets de Vries start their exploration of this issue by examining some general psychodynamic factors that influence the succession process. They go on to discuss major themes in founder-CEO succession in Russia, highlighting its potential pitfalls. They introduce the concept of the “succession paradox,” whereby CEO-founders appear to pass the helm to their successors while keeping a firm grip on the wheel. They end with a number of recommendations for coping with this problem, emphasizing that succession is a process rather than an event.