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Consulting, Family, Leadership, Practitioner Perspectives, Research Findings
Advising Enterprising Families: The Role, the Gap, and the Opportunity
Advising enterprising families calls for more than just business savvy; it requires understanding trust, legacy, and emotion. While advisors are often skilled in governance and strategy, many overlook the “human architecture” that truly drives family enterprise success. Below, we explore how to bridge this critical gap.
Family, Leadership, Research Findings
How Family Enterprises Can Benefit from The Employee Advantage by Stephan Meier
At the 2025 Family Enterprise Conference, Nepotism & Nurturing: Challenging the Narrative, Stephan Meier—author of The Employee Advantage—moderated our panel of family CEOs with one central theme: employees are a strategic resource, not just a cost. Meier spotlighted how family enterprises can unlock innovation and loyalty by combining their signature relational strengths (like trust and tradition) with transparent, merit-based HR practices that prevent favoritism and ensure non-family employees thrive, too. It’s an approach that research in family business fully supports: tapping into caring cultures is a proven source of competitive edge—but only when balanced with structures that keep the door open to all.Learn more about The Employee Advantage
Family, Leadership, Research Findings
Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations
In anticipation of our February 21 conference, Nepotism & Nurturing: Challenging the Narrative, this month’s newsletter dives into the complexities of nepotism in family enterprises. As coauthor Constantin Lagios explains in Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations, nepotism—“the practice of giving preferential treatment based on kinship or familial ties”—can have profound effects on an organization’s legacy and sustainability. While it fosters trust and unity among family members, unchecked nepotism can undermine fairness and efficiency, even contributing to misconduct. This issue explores how families can navigate these challenges and strike the right balance between relational bonds and professional merit. Join us at our upcoming conference to learn practical strategies for creating equitable, high-performing family enterprises.Read "Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations"
Family, Research Findings
Legacy: A Reflection on the Year and a Vision for the Future
As we close another year, the concept of legacy invites us to pause and reflect on the enduring impact of our actions and choices. Legacy, as explored in family enterprises, goes beyond financial inheritance. It encompasses values, decisions, and the footprints we leave for those who follow. This month, we consider legacy not just as a gift we bestow but as a lens through which we view our past, present, and future.Read "Legacy: The Meaning of Lasting Impact for Family, Business, and Beyond"Read "Leaving a Legacy: Intergenerational Allocations of Benefits and Burdens”
Family, Research Findings
Thanksgiving and Beyond: The Science of Gratitude in Family Enterprises
November, the month of giving thanks, inspired us to review the latest interdisciplinary research on the role of gratitude in families. Over time, multiple studies have shown that gratitude practices not only strengthen emotional bonds but also build resilience within families, enabling them to navigate challenges and adapt to change more effectively.Among the most recent articles on the topics, evidence highlights how gratitude improves individual well-being and enhances family dynamics and functioning. Read "Gratitude Improves Parents' Well-Being and Family Functioning"
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Consulting, Family, Leadership, Practitioner Perspectives, Research Findings
Advising Enterprising Families: The Role, the Gap, and the Opportunity
Advising enterprising families calls for more than just business savvy; it requires understanding trust, legacy, and emotion. While advisors are often skilled in governance and strategy, many overlook the “human architecture” that truly drives family enterprise success. Below, we explore how to bridge this critical gap.
Family, Leadership, Research Findings
How Family Enterprises Can Benefit from The Employee Advantage by Stephan Meier
At the 2025 Family Enterprise Conference, Nepotism & Nurturing: Challenging the Narrative, Stephan Meier—author of The Employee Advantage—moderated our panel of family CEOs with one central theme: employees are a strategic resource, not just a cost. Meier spotlighted how family enterprises can unlock innovation and loyalty by combining their signature relational strengths (like trust and tradition) with transparent, merit-based HR practices that prevent favoritism and ensure non-family employees thrive, too. It’s an approach that research in family business fully supports: tapping into caring cultures is a proven source of competitive edge—but only when balanced with structures that keep the door open to all.Learn more about The Employee Advantage
Family, Leadership, Research Findings
Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations
In anticipation of our February 21 conference, Nepotism & Nurturing: Challenging the Narrative, this month’s newsletter dives into the complexities of nepotism in family enterprises. As coauthor Constantin Lagios explains in Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations, nepotism—“the practice of giving preferential treatment based on kinship or familial ties”—can have profound effects on an organization’s legacy and sustainability. While it fosters trust and unity among family members, unchecked nepotism can undermine fairness and efficiency, even contributing to misconduct. This issue explores how families can navigate these challenges and strike the right balance between relational bonds and professional merit. Join us at our upcoming conference to learn practical strategies for creating equitable, high-performing family enterprises.Read "Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations"
Family, Research Findings
Legacy: A Reflection on the Year and a Vision for the Future
As we close another year, the concept of legacy invites us to pause and reflect on the enduring impact of our actions and choices. Legacy, as explored in family enterprises, goes beyond financial inheritance. It encompasses values, decisions, and the footprints we leave for those who follow. This month, we consider legacy not just as a gift we bestow but as a lens through which we view our past, present, and future.Read "Legacy: The Meaning of Lasting Impact for Family, Business, and Beyond"Read "Leaving a Legacy: Intergenerational Allocations of Benefits and Burdens”
Family, Research Findings
Thanksgiving and Beyond: The Science of Gratitude in Family Enterprises
November, the month of giving thanks, inspired us to review the latest interdisciplinary research on the role of gratitude in families. Over time, multiple studies have shown that gratitude practices not only strengthen emotional bonds but also build resilience within families, enabling them to navigate challenges and adapt to change more effectively.Among the most recent articles on the topics, evidence highlights how gratitude improves individual well-being and enhances family dynamics and functioning. Read "Gratitude Improves Parents' Well-Being and Family Functioning"
Practitioner Perspectives, Research Findings
New Ideas in Family Firms: 2023 Academic-Practitioner Conference Recap
The New Ideas in Family Firms Conference is an invitation-only thought leadership platform that was launched in 2018 to bring together a small group of the world’s leading academic researchers and practitioners to discuss the latest ideas in family enterprise research and advisory work.
Leadership and Strategy, Ownership, Research Findings, Strategy
Can you understand family-owned business without the emotions?
How do emotions impact decision-making in your family enterprise? Fabian Bernhard, Associate Professor of Management, EDHEC Business School, explains.
Practitioner Perspectives, Research Findings
2022 Conference Recap: Academic Presentation with Professor Rita McGrath
CBS Professor Rita McGrath shared her expertise on innovation in times of uncertainty. Her latest book, Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, explores how to harness disruptive influences early for a strategic advantage.
Family, Family Voices, Research Findings
2022 Conference Recap: Family Enterprise in an Interconnected World
Panelists discussed new challenges, from “cancel culture” to personal privacy, which businesses, and their people, must navigate in an inescapably interconnected world.