Abstract
Individuals make several career transitions within their working lifetime, including transitioning into leadership roles. Citrin and Neff (2005) report that individuals with only ten years of employment experience have worked for at least four organizations, with another six projected in their lifetime. The purpose of this study was to explore, document, and analyze the organization's role in a leadership transition process for individuals that are hired from the outside into senior leadership roles. This study examined participants' transition experiences and how their organizations facilitated the transition process, including the players involved and their roles. Grounded theory was selected for this qualitative study to understand an organization's role in a new leader's transition process. This study conducted interviews with new leader participants that were hired from the outside into senior leadership positions at a director level or higher and one of their colleagues involved in the transition process. The interview transcriptions, memos, and journaling were used to develop emerging themes. The study's findings were used to suggest how organizations can better support new leaders that are hired from the outside.