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Leadership & Organisations

Ten Ways Boards Need to Transform

Annet Aris

How governance must pivot in the face of accelerating change.

Strategy

A Simple Corporate Strategy for a Better Political Game

Xiaowei Rose Luo

Even within the same government, different branches may have divergent goals. Here’s how firms can play this to their advantage.

Family Business

The Power of Distinct Owners as Value Catalysts

M. Massa, L. Van der Heyden, K. Taraporevala

Uncovering the unique elements owners need to achieve business success and resilience.

Family Business

A Career in the Family Business: Duty or Choice?

M. Bennedsen, C. Harbour, A. Tirard

Would-be joiners of family businesses can have their cake and eat it – if they get the ingredients right.

Family Business

Preserving the Multiplicity of Voices in French Fine Wines

Antoine Duvauchelle

An INSEAD conference for family-owned French wine estates reveals important lessons for the continuity of excellence in other sectors.
1 comment

Family Business

When Two Leaders Collide, the Result Can Be Less Fraud

Y. Guo, X. R. Luo, D. Li

When the head of a family firm ranks lower in the family hierarchy than another leader at that firm, the misalignment can help prevent fraud in the emerging market context.

Family Business

A Different Kind of Family Firm Hiding in Plain Sight

Morten Bennedsen

The link between ownership and control is tenuous in a certain type of family firm.

Family Business

Professionalising the Family Firm

R. Noyes, M. Bennedsen

A conversation about the opportunities and threats that spur families into action.
2 comments

Family Business

Why Family CEOs Outperform Their Non-Family Predecessors

Morten Bennedsen

Pitfalls and solutions for non-family chief executives.

Family Business

When Nepotism Pads CEO Pay: Evidence From Indian Family Firms

Balagopal Vissa

Poor corporate governance in emerging economies allows some publicly listed family firms to use CEO pay to exploit corporate resources at the expense of minority shareholders.

Family Business

What Distinguishes Europe’s Family Business Champions from the Rest

A. von Stauffenberg, C. Zeisberger

Where do Europe’s family firms stand globally, in terms of creating sustainable, long-term value?

Family Business

The Key to Making Succession Work in Family Business

J. Bai Li, H. Piezunka

Transferring power to the younger generation can be profoundly disorienting – but help can be found in surprising quarters.

Family Business

Russia’s Stealth Family Businesses

S. Shekshnia, V. Zagieva, A. Matveeva

A challenging environment and historical baggage hinder Russian family companies from achieving their full potential.

Family Business

Successful Family Firms Shoot for the Moon

R. Carlock. K-F. Loh

For family firms, plotting ambitious futures is like planning a space venture.

Family Business

Family Business Longevity Requires Owners to Step Back

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

Too much centralised control puts a family business at risk when the owner-manager dies.

Family Business

Why Family Firms Lack Analyst Coverage

Xiaowei Rose Luo

Widely-held cultural views shape securities analysts’ assessment of family firms.
1 comment

Family Business

Planning for Family Business Longevity in Three Steps

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

Lessons from the U.K.’s oldest privately owned bank, which has been in the same family for more than 300 years.

Family Business

What Family Firms Need to Ensure Longevity

Bowen White

The professionalization of leading family firms.

Family Business

When Loyalty Becomes a Liability to Family Firms

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

Staying true to your roots can foster inertia when innovation is most necessary.

Family Business

When Succession Skips a Generation

Morten Bennedsen & Brian Henry

Hiring non-family executives helps ensure longevity, but it requires strategic finesse.

Family Business

Protecting the Business from Generational Friction

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

The family dynamics that promote smooth transfer to the next generation.

Family Business

Five Challenges That Could Derail a Succession Plan

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

The obstacles Peugeot, Kikkoman, Tata Group and other iconic global family firms learned to overcome.

Family Business

Four Simple Rules for Succession Planning

Morten Bennedsen & Brian Henry

How to keep the business – and the family – running smoothly into the next generation and beyond.

Family Business

Enduring Firms Transfer Assets and Knowledge Effectively

Morten Bennedsen

How family assets such as name and members are managed matters for longevity.

Family Business

Long-Lasting Family Firms Transform in Times of Hardship

Firms that span generations are characterised by a willingness to change.

Family Business

A World-Class Family Company Based on Values

A firm that truly looks after its workers becomes a world-class garment manufacturer.
1 comment

Family Business

How to Integrate In-Laws into the Family Business

How a family business manages its in-laws should be decided by its values.

Leadership & Organisations

Teamwork, the Everest Way

The first Singaporean women to reach the summit of Everest used a framework that defines effective teams.

Family Business

Losing the Battle for Dow Jones

Enduring family businesses cannot rely on history; each new generation must remain active and committed if the firm is to stay relevant and strong.

Family Business

Steering a Carmaker out of a Crisis

In times of corporate crisis well-cultivated family assets can be the definitive factor in a company’s turnaround.

Family Business

When Gender Inequality Controls Whole Organisations

When cultural traditions and interpersonal relationships coincide, businesses start acting in irrational ways.

Family Business

Dangers of Gun-based Succession Planning

Succession plans for family firms only work with the buy-in of all members.

Strategy

How to Institutionalise Innovation

Family firms provide lessons in creating continuously innovative companies.

Family Business

Entrepreneurship Lessons from a Family Venture Philanthropist

Venture capital, philanthropy and family business are not mutually exclusive concepts. They all reflect the same entrepreneurial values of long-term investment, personal commitment, building teams and thinking outside the box.
3 comments

Family Business

Exiting the Family Firm – Are You Ready to Make the Break?

Exiting the family firm is perhaps the most difficult decision a family will ever have to take. Sometimes the exit forces are so strong, this is the only path forward, but there is life after sale.

Economics & Finance

Why You Should Care About Family Office Values

Asian family offices are at a nascent stage of development; while they are keen to progress, there are clear philosophies they don’t see the need to change.
4 comments

Family Business

Family Ties Help When Firms Go Bust

When their business goes into distress, family firms have more than money at stake. Does this place them in a better position to manage their way out of trouble?
1 comment

Family Business

Are You Sure You Want to Go Public?

Many family owners are tempted to float their company on the stock exchange, lured by the idea of raising significant amounts of cash. But going public is not always what it’s cracked up to be.

Family Business

How Much Control Should You Have Over Your Firm?

Family ownership can vary from thousands of family members to just one single owner. How to choose the right number for your family business?

Family Business

Rising to the Challenge of Succession Planning in Family Firms

Finding a family successor is one of the greatest challenges for family firms but when done correctly, it will deliver value for the company over and above any other strategy.

Family Business

Now Hiring: Family Offices in Asia

As a vehicle for wealth management, the family office is still relatively new in Asia, but that’s now changing. Opportunities abound for managing this family wealth.

Family Business

Mapping the Future for Family Firms

Family firms are dominating global business today. To ensure longevity, they must phase their many challenges through long-term planning. The first step is to design a road map for the future governance of the firm and the family.

Family Business

The Secrets of Family Business Longevity

Clear and well defined family values, trust, networks and innovation are often the bedrock for success in family firms, but designing governance structures to face ownership and succession roadblocks are also essential for longevity.

Family Business

The Decline of an Iconic British Brand

There were no sweet goodbyes when Britain lost Cadbury to U.S. food giant Kraft. How did the once family-owned firm run on strict Quaker values fall victim to globalisation?

Family Business

Luxury Wars: How Hermès Faced Down its Rival

Threatened by a sudden and hostile takeover, the Hermès family sought strength in unity and formed an elaborate defence to ensure the 130-year-old company remained under family control.