Last week we examined the foundations of the four rooms model in family business and why addressing a specific issue in the right room is so essential. In today's installment, we’ll add another layer to this framework: the valuable tools proposed by the renowned scholar Clayton Christensen. Christensen’s diagnostic starts with two key questions Finding…

According to common wisdom, the unique characteristics of family firms give them a natural edge when it comes to ESG performance. This IESE Insight article suggests a more nuanced reality, with highlights from recent research by NYU Stern professor Belén Villalonga and IESE professors Marta Elvira, Igor Kadach and Gaizka Ormazabal. What drives sustainability performance?…

Family businesses are rarely at a loss for tools. They can set up a board of directors, redesign incentives, bring in an outside CEO, draft a family protocol, convene a family council or call in a mediator. The real challenge lies elsewhere: how do you know which tool to use, where to use it and…

Picture the assignment we would all call a success. Eighteen months in, she has the language. She knows which meetings matter and which are theatre. Her local colleagues have stopped explaining things to her. When she pushes back in a meeting, nobody hears an outsider pushing back — they hear a colleague. Ask anyone in…