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Family Business Leaders' Fear of Failure Can Inhibit Next Gens

When parents openly display fear of failing, it can unintentionally portray entrepreneurship as unsafe, undesirable, or even shameful. This doesn't help their successors or the business. Why do so Read More...

Category: Research Insight

Authors: Seyyede Sharare Bagherian , Sonia M. Strano , Sohrab Soleimanof , Jon Carr and S. Alireza Feyzbaksh

Are the 'Best Practices' All Wrong for Your Family Business?

The best processes and systems come not from outside advisers and experts, but from how families actually live, relate to one another, and make decisions. Family businesses are more than economic Read More...

Category: Research Insight

Authors: Luciana Lucena de Lima and María José Parada

Hand Down the Family Business but Keep a Hand In

Skip-generation entrepreneurship combines the wisdom of business founders with the energy and tech savviness of their grandchildren. Photo: Lauri Union, founding executive director of the Bertarelli Read More...

Category: Features

Author: Lin Grensing-Pophal

Family CEOs May Encourage More Innovation Than Non-Family Leaders

While professional non-family leadership may bring some advantages, the stability brought by family leaders may encourage employees to innovate without fear of failure. Much research has focused on Read More...

Category: Research Insight

Authors: Mario Daniele Amore , Morten Bennedsen , Bordin Bordeerath and Nicolai Foss

Addressing Substance Use Disorders in a Family Enterprise

When a family member struggles with addiction, the consequences can ripple throughout the firm and increase its risks. Scott, a seasoned executive in a multigenerational family business, approached Read More...

Category: Commentary

Author: Diana Clark

What Family Firms Can Teach Us About Work-Life Balance

Blurring work and personal lives can lead to stress and exhaustion. Family businesses do these four things to create healthier boundaries. From the launch of the first cellphone with email Read More...

Category: Practice Insight

Authors: Jennifer Jordan and Peter Vogel

Are Your Family and Business Thriving Together - Or Undermining Each Other?

Like organisms in nature, the relationship between family and business can be mutually beneficial or detrimental. Here's how to strengthen both spheres. EDITOR‘S NOTE: This article was produced in Read More...

Category: Research Insight

Authors: Kimberly Eddleston and Jennifer Jennings

CEOs Who've Been Mentored Achieve Better Financial Results

Family firms where the departing CEO has mentored the successor enjoyed stronger return on assets. EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was produced in partnership with Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, a Read More...

Category: Research Insight

Authors: Fabio Quarato , Maria J. Sanchez-Bueno , Domenico Cambrea , Fernando Muñoz-Bullon and Mario Daniele Amore

Family Leaders: Can Your Business Still Sail Without You?

Without a map for navigating emergencies and guiding successors after your departure, your business and your legacy could be left adrift. Imagine you're at the helm of a ship, sailing through calm Read More...

Category: Practice Insight

Author: Bradford C. Jeter, CEPA

Merging With Another Family Firm is Safer and Smarter

Family business mergers enjoy greater harmony and better financial performance than mergers involving non-family firms. Mergers and acquisitions represent one of the most significant strategic Read More...

Category: Research Insight

Authors: Francesco Chirico , Robert E Hoskisson , Seemantini Pathak and Massimo Baù