Managing the legacy of a deceased founder is an important but delicate aspect of the successor’s role. In this conceptual article, we focus on specific communicative activities that successors may engage in both as they arrive in position and during their tenure. We propose the concept of imaginative communicative practices (ICPs) that successors can use to address the communicative challenges of dealing with the founder’s legacy. Building on findings from memory work and rhetorical history, we identify four ICPs: quoting, telling stories, perspective-taking, and imagining interactions. Drawing from insights in language science and psychology, we emphasize how these practices fundamentally rely on imagination, illuminating new aspects that may inspire future successors. We propose a conceptual framework that positions the four practices according to two dimensions: temporal orientation and continuity with the founder. Our conceptual framework provides successors with guidance on how to select the most appropriate ICPs, depending on the strategic direction they wish to give to legacy: reappropriating it, evolving it, updating it, or reinventing it. We also discuss the potential pitfalls that may be associated to each practice.
