Views of Estonian nonprofit executives on succession: lessons from the field

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of five leadership succession themes by executives of Estonian nonprofit organizations.

This is a qualitative study that uses narrative inquiry and purposive sampling. Face-to-face and Skype interviews were conducted with 15 executives.

Succession was unplanned in most of the Estonian nonprofits; successors were coached during initial transitionary periods; insiders were preferred to outsiders; requirements of executive positions were unmet because of a talent shortfall; lack of trust, unexpected behavior, and possible ethical issues were key risk factors associated with succession; and mixed opinions were received regarding the advantages and disadvantages of succession planning.

Narrow focus on Estonian nonprofit organizations and their executives, purposive sampling, and single qualitative research method. Results may not be applicable to other nonprofits.

Practitioners of Estonian nonprofits can better understand the implications of executive succession issues. Lessons learned may help other nonprofit leaders.

Having a carefully crafted succession plan can enable smoother transitions between organizational leaders and create organizational stability, thereby ensuring a continuous delivery of goods and services to clients.

Seminal research – this is the first study of its kind on Estonian nonprofit organizations and executive succession issues. This paper can serve as a foundation for further research on Eastern European nonprofits.