JAKARTA -- Indonesian tycoon Mochtar Riady has been contemplating the question of succession for nearly 30 years. Part of the answer, he thinks, lies in Chinese folk wisdom about failure.

Lippo Group founder Mochtar Riady, center, and his son James, left, look poised to pass the baton to a third generation led by James' son John, right.
Mochtar Riady's heir apparent, John Riady, makes mark in Indonesian e-payments