Preventive Measures Reducing the Risk of Occurrence of Competence Gaps in Terms Of Emotional Intelligence of Successors in Family Businesses in Poland

Abstract

The main aim of the research was to identify preventive measures that would minimise the risk of occurrence of competence gaps in terms of emotional intelligence of successors in family businesses. The article contains issues related to emotional intelligence of successors in contemporary family businesses. The author underlined complexity and ambiguity of a process aimed at elaborating a set of successors’ competencies necessary to run family businesses, which has been a subject of research of many representatives of the academic community (in the field of psychology and management). The main aim of the article was to emphasize the importance of competencies of successors in contemporary family businesses, with particular emphasis on competences related to emotional intelligence, which constitute an important part of their competences.It was proved by results achieved by other researchers, as mentioned herein, combined with the author’s own research.The article described a notion of successors’ emotional education, with particular importance of the role of parents in the early years of their children, when the children are learning how to manage their emotions and relationships. The author also indicated sample actions and methods destined to enhance competencies within the scope of emotional intelligence, along with benefits derived from their application. The role of the self-development method was emphasized, which is based on systematic work on the development of personal competences and is a method that supports the strategy of family businesses because it leads to a change in attitudes in terms of quality.