Succession‐Based Development in Family Handicraft Businesses: A Triadic Conceptual Framework for Tourism Development and Intergenerational Sustainability

ABSTRACT

This study develops a conceptual framework for succession‐based development in family handicraft businesses, integrating intergenerational continuity and cultural preservation into sustainable operations. A meta‐synthesis of 62 peer‐reviewed articles identified 48 intergenerational stewardship practices, categorized into 12 succession enablement processes and structured around four transgenerational value drivers: (1) Institutional‐Cultural‐Social Foundation; (2) Human Capital Development and Empowerment; (3) Strategic Transformation Implementation and Management; and (4) Consolidation, Learning, and Ensuring Continuity. This three‐layered framework shows how succession strategies are operationalized across familial, organizational, and market levels. Drawing on socioemotional wealth (SEW) theory, dynamic capabilities theory, and stewardship theory, the framework clarifies that intergenerational stewardship practices (what) provide inputs, succession enablement processes (how) enable adaptation, and transgenerational value drivers (why) guide goals—enhancing cultural tourism. The main theoretical contribution of this research is a multidimensional, integrative framework that reconceptualizes succession as a mechanism for cultural‐economic development in family handicraft businesses, establishing a new paradigm for linking family business and cultural heritage theories while informing the design of resilient, culturally authentic, and intergenerationally sustainable enterprises.