Navigating family succession in a turbulent context: the case of Circuit Empire in Lebano

Lebanon, recognized as a turbulent context, presents significant challenges for family business succession that have received limited scholarly attention. This study examines the narrative of a prominent century-old Lebanese family business through a single-case approach. It contributes to understanding family business succession by (i) offering insights into the Lebanese context, (ii) providing empirical evidence on succession dynamics, and (iii) focusing on successors’ commitment. The findings expand Labaki’s (2014) “dual commitment” model by incorporating individual commitment to heirs concerning career choice intentions. Entrepreneurial freedom and a warrior’s mindset emerge as strong drivers of founding intent. Unexpectedly, the study also underscores the need to address heirs’ potential for “deviant behaviour” as a critical factor for successful succession.