Intergenerational knowledge transfer in family Firms: A Research in Afyonkarahisar province

Introduction: Transferring knowledge to the next generation is a very important process for longevity and sustainability with challenging during the family firms' succession. Researches on knowledge transfer in literature considering that family firms tend to maintain knowledge within the family to continue their operations by limiting transfer between the members. Although it cannot be said that this transfer was successfully carried out by all family firms with this tendency. Accordingly, the motivation for this study is to explore how knowledge is transferred between generations in the family firms. Aim: Based on the motivation of the study, the aim of this paper to investigate intergenerational knowledge transfer on Turkish delight and confectionery manufacturers in Afyonkarahisar province that were known as a more traditional family firm structure. Method: A semi-structured interview method was used in the study. The firms determined from the profession list of the Afyonkarahisar Chamber of Commerce and Industry were reached and a meeting was requested. Interviews were made with 12 managers who were family members from different generations who agreed to participate in the study. Findings: It has been observed that the family firms in the research have a well-established structure. In these firms, there is no systematic knowledge transfer process between generations as stated in the literature. Their knowledge and competencies are shaped based on the founder and transferred to other generations through informal channels determined by the founder