Over the years, the Chair of Family-Owned Business has written extensively about one central idea: strong families don’t automatically evolve into strong owners. Solid values, commitment and a long-term perspective are real advantages of family ownership, but they only translate into sustainable performance when supported by robust governance. In many family firms, governance issues might […]
Purpose is strategy
According to Grant F. Reid, CEO and president of Mars, “Performance without purpose is meaningless, and purpose without performance is not possible. It’s the magic combination.” For Mars CFO Claus Aagaard, “Private ownership provides a great platform to live our purpose as we can do the right things and faster without the worry of the […]
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 […]
ElPozo: from a local shop to a worldwide reference
An entrepreneur by vocation, Tomás Fuertes has been working for the business holding company he presides for over 60 years. Today, Grupo Fuertes is a global reference in the agri-food sector with operations in 118 countries with 100% Spanish capital. When I talk about Grupo Fuertes, I always say we’re a hybrid project: the combined […]
Family business and globalization
My colleague Prof. Marta Elvira asked me if I could write about family business and globalization. I do so with pleasure but with the fear that some readers might find my conclusions disappointing. In this post, I won’t refer to large corporations but to medium-sized companies, defined by the European Union as firms with revenues […]
What’s the link between purpose and the bottom line?
A clear purpose drives results. These are the words of Claudine Gartenberg, a Wharton School professor and co-author of one of the largest studies ever conducted on corporate purpose. According to Prof. Gartenberg, purpose is “a set of beliefs about the meaning of a company’s work beyond quantitative measures of financial performance.” In a recent […]
A chat with Nobel laureate Amartya Sen
As Secretary of the Jury of the Princess of Asturias Foundation Award, I had the tremendous honor of speaking with economist and philosopher Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize in Economics and 2021 Award Winner of the Princess of Asturias in Social Sciences. Human development and human capabilities are at the heart of his work. In our […]
10 reasons why we need family businesses
Family-owned firms play a vital role in the global economy, an undisputed and internationally recognized fact. Going a step further, I would like to highlight 10 ways in which family firms positively impact the world based on my firsthand observations of how they operate and confront challenges. 1 – They drive and sustain employment I’m […]
Financial Times: we’re in the news!
We’re happy to report that our efforts to help family-owned businesses have not gone unnoticed! We hope you enjoy this recent Financial Times article and that you help us spread the word by sharing it friends and colleagues. What can business school teach a family firm?
Succession in family firms: navigating the power paradox
Many family business leaders hold two conflicting emotions as they near retirement: on one hand, the desire to pass the baton to their children, and on the other, the desire to retain control for as long as possible. These opposing aims can significantly affect the parent-child dynamic and result in a paradox in which the […]
The voice of minority shareholders in family-owned firms
Family-owned firms dominate the global economy: according to PwC’s latest Global Family Business Survey, they contribute more than half of the world’s annual GDP and generate around two-thirds of employment. Their strength is also seen in new business ventures: 85% of start-ups are launched with family money. As outlined in a previous post, an important […]
