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Succession

Is smooth succession in a family business really a myth?

March 1, 2004

Transitioning the family business from one generation to the next is fraught with hardship, headaches and high drama. So says the mainstream press but it’s just not so

Andrew Keyt is Executive Director of the Family Business Center at Loyola University Chicago and President of the US Chapter of the FBN.

Transitioning the family business from one generation to the next is fraught with hardship, headaches and high drama. So says the mainstream press but it's just not so

Succession begins on the first day of work

March 1, 2004

By using the ‘four phases of succession’ a family business owner can pinpoint precisely where the business is and then smoothen the transition to the next generation. But the key is to take painstaking care during the early phases

Dennis T Jaffe is Professor at Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco, author of Working With The Ones You Love and a founding member of the Aspen Family Business Group.

By using the 'four phases of succession' a family business owner can pinpoint precisely where the business is and then smoothen the transition to the next generation. But the key is to take painstaking care during the early phases

A generation apart

January 1, 2004

When their 45-year old father, Frank, founded his tool and die business he had hoped only for enough business to be able to provide for himself, his wife and their two boys, Roger and Alex.

When their 45-year old father, Frank, founded his tool and die business he had hoped only for enough business to be able to provide for himself, his wife and their two boys, Roger and Alex. Roger, the eldest, began working with his dad first and his high energy and natural sales skills helped grow the business beyond its humble entrepreneurial roots. As the spitting image of his father, Roger believed that he was the only choice to succeed his father, the founder, as the rightful leader of the company.

Now what do we do?

September 1, 2003

In December 2002 the Daniels family were enjoying a rare Sunday dinner together.

In December 2002 the Daniels family were enjoying a rare Sunday dinner together. Jane (25) was home for the holidays from Stanford University where she was completing a PhD in history. As usual, the conversation turned towards Ridgeway Harley-Davidson, the business that was started by Joe Daniels (52) and his wife Anne (48). The business had done well over the years and Mark, their son (23) had joined the business full-time in 1998. But once again, as Joe watched his wife and son talk, he started to feel 'out of the loop'.

How to plan who pays for succession

April 1, 2003

It is never too late to start planning for succession. The financial/business options for providing what meets each family member’s needs are not as limited as they may at first appear

Justine Ferguson is a consultant with Family Business Solutions Limited and an associate with Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie Solicitors based in Glasgow, Scotland.

It is never too late to start planning for succession. The financial/business options for providing what meets each family member's needs are not as limited as they may at first appear

Rebuilding more than the WTC

January 1, 2003

September 11 caught the world by surprise. One year on, the World Trade Center isn’t the only thing being rebuilt – many family businesses have to face tough decisions on succession, sales, hiring and development

Mike O'Malley is a consultant, lecturer and executive coach. He specialises in developing solutions for the relationship problems among business members, outside stakeholders and management.

September 11 caught the world by surprise. One year on, the World Trade Center isn't the only thing being rebuilt – many family businesses have to face tough decisions on succession, sales, hiring and development

Succession, social responsibility and success

January 1, 2003

The FBN conference presented many opportunities for delegates to learn about issues affecting family businesses

Sabine Klein is a Research Fellow at INSEAD Fontainebleau, teaching family business at the University of Trier, and an associate with The Family Business Consulting Group, Marietta, GA, USA.

Justin Craig is a Postgraduate Research Fellow in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Family Business and an Associate of the Australian Centre for Family Business at Bond University in Australia.

Ken Moores is the founding and current Research Director of the Australian Centre for Family Business, Bond University, Australia.

Mentoring the next generation

June 1, 2002

The next generation of mentors – parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, senior business leaders and advisors – play an important role in guiding the next generation of family members. Career planning strategies can help these mentors prepare the next generation for their roles in the family business

Katherine Grady is a Senior Associate with Lansberg, Gersick & Associates LLC, a family business consulting firm in New Haven, Connecticut. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology at Yale University.

A study of Swiss family businesses

February 1, 2002

Swiss family businesses are focused on the relevant business and corporate issues that need to be addressed for future success but fare less well on the emotional issues such as succession

Lombard Odier & Cie, in conjunction with IMD, carried out an in-depth study on family businesses in Switzerland during Spring 2001 because we became aware that little is known about such businesses, even though they are the key threads of the Swiss social and economic fabric. Therefore, we tried to better understand the ties between these families and their companies, to become aware of their concerns relating to the continuity and passing on of those businesses and to define the relevant issues more efficiently.