Our Latest Articles

September 16, 2024 - Issue #126

How Do Owners of Family Business Portfolios Restructure Poorly Performing Firms? Families can get emotionally attached to laggards in their portfolios and avoid taking tough but necessary action, putting the entire enterprise in peril.

How Business Families Can Invest for Social Impact Business families have many ways to combine financial returns with philanthropy. The choice depends on their values, long-term goals and other factors.

Should Former Leaders Stay Involved in the Family Firm? The successor's readiness for the top role, and the firm's age and experience with previous successions, are main factors to consider.

With Women Directors, Strategy Disclosure Decreases Cost of Capital at Family Businesses Family firms face higher borrowing costs than non-family firms if they disclose strategic information, but having women on their boards helps them narrow the gap.

Storytelling Vividly Illustrates Your Family Business Values Passing on stories among family members from one generation to the next is one powerful way values can be passed through multiple generations without being reduced to meaningless words.

Family Firms Are Like Jenga

Renewing the Empire: A Family Firm's Succession and Refit Journey Next-gen leaders often have a clearer view of how the family business must change. The challenge is to preserve the culture and values while making change happen.

Academy of Management Honors FamilyBusiness.org Editor Kimberly Eddleston The award recognizes her role in launching and growing the world's leading website for supporting and educating family businesses.

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Governments Must Encourage Family Enterprise Growth

When Is a Family Business Leader Too Old?

I Banned Cell Phones In My Class: What Happened Next

Involve Next-Gens in Developing Your Social Media Policy

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Recent

Family Businesses Can Learn From the Battling Brothers of Oasis

by Salvatore Sciascia / Commentary

Fighting caused Liam and Noel Gallagher to throw away 18 years of work. Family firms must do these five things to avoid the same fate. Read more...

Employees With Toxic Traits Can Still Be An Asset at Family Firms

by Benjamin McLarty and Daniel T. Holt / Research Insight

The emotional connection that families have with their companies can encourage good performance -- even from employees with narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Read more...

'Performance-Enhancing Vices': Good for Business, Bad for Relationships

by Kimberly Eddleston and David Werdiger / Commentary

Advisor and author David Werdiger talks about the business benefits and personal drawbacks of being selfish and stubborn. Read more...

Family History Can Be Repurposed to Serve Today's Challenges

by Christina Lubinski and William Gartner / Research Insight

Family firms often frame their history as a tale of generations (e.g., first, second, third – generation). This approach has become so ingrained in how we think about family and organizational Read more...

by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan

Retirement Options and their Consequences for Small Business Owners

by Valeria Alterman and Ariane Froidevaux

The Biggest Mistakes Family Businesses Make With Their Boards

by Kimberly Eddleston

Future Family Business Owners Can Learn to Manage Conflict

by Ritch Sorenson

How to Plan for a Successful Succession

by Richard Eisenberg

How to Run a Family Business Successfully

by Kerry Hannon