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Outsider by Birth: Leading in a Family Firm

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Abstract

This chapter considers non-family leadership in a family firm. This complex role is reflected upon by Anthony Dinan, former MD of Thomas Crosbie Holdings, at one time the largest family-owned Print and Media Corporation in Ireland. Anthony reflects on being the first outsider MD in a five-generation family firm and the challenges and opportunities affiliate to this role. He goes on to discuss negotiating with owners and employees in this role and considers the outsider-insider dynamic affiliated to leading a large-scale acquisition strategy in this environment. The impact of the global downturn of 2008–2009 is relevant in this chapter, as are the familial dynamics following this external shock. The chapter concludes with Anthony’s reflections on an outsider leader career within a large-scale family firm.

This chapter is written by Felicity Kelliher; Chris O’Riordan; Patrick C. Flood; Malcolm Higgs

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Cork Examiner newspaper title was later changed to the Examiner (1994) and then the Irish Examiner (2000) in a series of rebranding exercises at TCH. The publication will be referred to as the Examiner throughout this book.

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Kelliher, F., O’Riordan, C., Flood, P.C., Higgs, M. (2019). Outsider by Birth: Leading in a Family Firm. In: Outsider Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97463-7_9

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