Guest contributor: Tarek el Sehity Tarek el Sehity is a researcher and lecturer at Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. As explored in the first article of this two-part series, core family values represent a central differentiating factor between family and non-family enterprises, as well as a strategic driver. Rather than a static, top-down process, our […]
Family values: legacy is co-created, not handed down
Guest contributor: Tarek el Sehity Tarek el Sehity is a researcher and lecturer at Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. “For things to remain the same, everything must change.” Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard This enduring wisdom captures a fundamental truth for business families that have withstood the test of time: preserving the values that […]
Shared family purpose: a path to multigenerational success
Guest contributor: Tarek el Sehity Tarek el Sehity is a researcher and lecturer at Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. As Viktor Frankl wisely observed, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” This insight holds particular relevance for family-owned businesses, underscoring the critical importance of a shared purpose […]
3 distinct approaches to collaborative philanthropy
As the literature on collaboration clearly notes, the less structured and defined a collaborative mission, the greater the importance of superordinate social concepts like shared values, shared purpose and shared perspectives to ground these partnerships. Since these superordinate dimensions are based on relatively stable psychological beliefs and individual constructs, it is even more important to […]
Collaborative philanthropy: possibility or pipe dream?
Organizations and business leaders around the world always stress the importance of teamwork but in the realm of philanthropy, most people act alone. Yet as the world’s challenges become increasingly complex and interconnected, a joint approach might be more effective to promote the common good than “going solo.” But is collective philanthropy a viable option? […]
What’s the purpose of a shared family purpose?
“To whom much is given, much will be required.” This precept dates back to biblical times yet remains just as relevant as ever among multigenerational family firms. By distributing their wealth toward specific social causes and concerns – often unrelated to their core business – high-net-worth families can serve as powerful agents of change. On […]
Family investment companies in times of COVID19: a story of resilience
The pandemic has triggered times of unprecedented disruption for firms worldwide, highlighting the critical need for organizational resilience and flexibility. How have European family investment companies (FICs) performed in this context of uncertainty? As part of our ongoing research on European FICs, John Learmonth and I tracked a broad sample of companies, both before and […]