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Decisions, Entrepreneurial Leadership & Strategy, Family, Governance, Leadership, Management, Ownership, Research Findings, Strategy
What Our Giving Says About Us Beyond "How Much": What Family Giving Really Signals
A global survey of 525 family firm decision-makers across 21 countries finds that founder identity, whether Missionary or Darwinian, shapes philanthropic behavior across generations. Missionary founders, driven by social purpose, produce giving that grows stronger over time as their legacy is idealized and absorbed into family identity. Darwinian founders, motivated by competitive logic, engage in more reputational giving that can shift with other priorities. Transgenerational control intentions further complicate the picture: families focused on succession may quietly redirect philanthropic energy inward. For advisors, the implication is clear: identity, not just structure, determines whether family giving becomes a lasting legacy or a secondary priority. Read the full article, What Our Giving Says About Us, and explore the Richards & Kammerlander study in Family Business Review.
Decisions, Entrepreneurial Leadership & Strategy, Family, Governance, Leadership, Management, Ownership, Research Findings, Strategy
The Cost of Control: Is Your Legacy Fueling “Innovation Reluctance”?
A large-scale global study of 3,322 publicly listed firms across 32 OECD countries finds that family involvement is, on average, associated with lower market valuation, particularly when renewal investment is weak or governance rigor is unclear. While family ownership is discounted less in strong institutional environments, the valuation penalty tied to family CEOs persists across contexts. Crucially, underinvestment in R&D partially explains this performance gap, suggesting that visible, disciplined innovation is a key credibility signal to markets.For family enterprises, the message is not anti-control. It is structural: legacy, governance, and geography determine whether family influence fuels long-term value or quietly contributes to “innovation reluctance.”
Family, Leadership, Ownership, Research Findings
Beyond Time Off: Regeneration, Burnout, and the Hidden Cost of Always Being “On”
A new study by Blumentritt, Randolph, and Marchisio reframes burnout in family enterprises as a systemic issue—not simply the result of long hours, but of blurred roles, emotional labor, and constant entwinement of personal and professional identity. Unlike in traditional firms, stepping away from work may feel like stepping out of the family. The research highlights that effective recovery goes beyond rest—it requires intentional, identity-affirming experiences and collective shifts in how families structure time, roles, and expectations.
Family, Leadership, Ownership, Research Findings
Family of Choice: In-Laws and the Enterprising Family
In-laws are part of the family — but what does that mean in the context of a family enterprise? This essay explores the hidden influence of in-laws on continuity, identity, and governance across generations. Drawing on research by John Rosso and perspectives from family systems theory, it challenges families to reflect on whether their treatment of in-laws is thoughtful and aligned with long-term goals, or driven by default assumptions that may unintentionally undermine connection and stewardship.
Family, Leadership, Ownership, Research Findings
The Silent Risk in the C-Suite: When Memory Meets Responsibility
New research from Columbia University and a 2025 study in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas challenge assumptions about when Alzheimer’s risk begins. The findings show that cognitive decline—linked to cardiovascular, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative markers—can be detected in adults as young as 24. While family history remains relevant, it’s lifestyle and biological risk factors that may offer earlier, more actionable signals.This has major implications for family enterprise leadership: cognitive health isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a strategic one. In a high-pressure environment where next-gens are expected to carry long-term responsibility, fostering brain health through wellness strategies, annual screenings, and a new definition of “readiness” could shape the future of continuity planning. As Dr. Noble of Columbia University Medical Center notes, the earliest signs often go unrecognized—making proactive awareness a form of responsible ownership.
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Decisions, Entrepreneurial Leadership & Strategy, Family, Governance, Leadership, Management, Ownership, Research Findings, Strategy
What Our Giving Says About Us Beyond "How Much": What Family Giving Really Signals
A global survey of 525 family firm decision-makers across 21 countries finds that founder identity, whether Missionary or Darwinian, shapes philanthropic behavior across generations. Missionary founders, driven by social purpose, produce giving that grows stronger over time as their legacy is idealized and absorbed into family identity. Darwinian founders, motivated by competitive logic, engage in more reputational giving that can shift with other priorities. Transgenerational control intentions further complicate the picture: families focused on succession may quietly redirect philanthropic energy inward. For advisors, the implication is clear: identity, not just structure, determines whether family giving becomes a lasting legacy or a secondary priority. Read the full article, What Our Giving Says About Us, and explore the Richards & Kammerlander study in Family Business Review.
Decisions, Entrepreneurial Leadership & Strategy, Family, Governance, Leadership, Management, Ownership, Research Findings, Strategy
The Cost of Control: Is Your Legacy Fueling “Innovation Reluctance”?
A large-scale global study of 3,322 publicly listed firms across 32 OECD countries finds that family involvement is, on average, associated with lower market valuation, particularly when renewal investment is weak or governance rigor is unclear. While family ownership is discounted less in strong institutional environments, the valuation penalty tied to family CEOs persists across contexts. Crucially, underinvestment in R&D partially explains this performance gap, suggesting that visible, disciplined innovation is a key credibility signal to markets.For family enterprises, the message is not anti-control. It is structural: legacy, governance, and geography determine whether family influence fuels long-term value or quietly contributes to “innovation reluctance.”
Family, Leadership, Ownership, Research Findings
Beyond Time Off: Regeneration, Burnout, and the Hidden Cost of Always Being “On”
A new study by Blumentritt, Randolph, and Marchisio reframes burnout in family enterprises as a systemic issue—not simply the result of long hours, but of blurred roles, emotional labor, and constant entwinement of personal and professional identity. Unlike in traditional firms, stepping away from work may feel like stepping out of the family. The research highlights that effective recovery goes beyond rest—it requires intentional, identity-affirming experiences and collective shifts in how families structure time, roles, and expectations.
Family, Leadership, Ownership, Research Findings
Family of Choice: In-Laws and the Enterprising Family
In-laws are part of the family — but what does that mean in the context of a family enterprise? This essay explores the hidden influence of in-laws on continuity, identity, and governance across generations. Drawing on research by John Rosso and perspectives from family systems theory, it challenges families to reflect on whether their treatment of in-laws is thoughtful and aligned with long-term goals, or driven by default assumptions that may unintentionally undermine connection and stewardship.
Family, Leadership, Ownership, Research Findings
The Silent Risk in the C-Suite: When Memory Meets Responsibility
New research from Columbia University and a 2025 study in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas challenge assumptions about when Alzheimer’s risk begins. The findings show that cognitive decline—linked to cardiovascular, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative markers—can be detected in adults as young as 24. While family history remains relevant, it’s lifestyle and biological risk factors that may offer earlier, more actionable signals.This has major implications for family enterprise leadership: cognitive health isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a strategic one. In a high-pressure environment where next-gens are expected to carry long-term responsibility, fostering brain health through wellness strategies, annual screenings, and a new definition of “readiness” could shape the future of continuity planning. As Dr. Noble of Columbia University Medical Center notes, the earliest signs often go unrecognized—making proactive awareness a form of responsible ownership.
Family, Leadership, Research Findings
The Power of Belonging in Times of Transition
In Tribal, Professor Michael Morris reveals that tribes—groups bound by shared identity, rituals, and purpose—aren’t just social constructs; they’re fundamental to how humans survive and thrive. Family enterprises, too, function as tribes. But as families grow and change, tribal cohesion requires intentional leadership. Drawing from Morris’s work, we explore what it means to build inclusive, evolving tribes that balance tradition with transformation. As our students graduate and our alumni grow in their journeys, we’re reminded that the bonds forged at Columbia—like all resilient tribes—are rooted in meaning, shared purpose, and belonging.
Climate and Sustainability, Family, Leadership, Ownership, Research Findings
Beyond Earth Day: What Legacy Are We Leaving?
Earth Day may come once a year each April, but its call to action reverberates far beyond a single month. Corporations respond with net-zero pledges, families with tree-planting rituals, and policy leaders with bold targets. Yet behind these headlines lies a quieter, more complex force: enterprising families.
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