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Artificial Intelligence, Decisions, Family, Governance, Management, Research Findings
Is AI a Threat to Legacy, or a New Way to Coauthor It?
As Columbia Business School deepens its institutional commitment to AI through its AI in Business Initiative and the upcoming "MBA Transformed: AI and Beyond" teaching symposium on June 1, 2026, family enterprises face a parallel question: is AI a threat to legacy, or a new way to coauthor it? A recent study in the Journal of Product Innovation Management, "AI Adoption in Family Firms: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Paradoxical Roles of Passive and Active Family Involvement," suggests AI adoption is as much a relationship and governance challenge as a technological one. Drawing on 125 interviews and survey data from 1,444 German firms, the authors find that passive family ownership may slow adoption, while active family management can accelerate it, particularly when paired with strong external ties to suppliers, customers, and even competitors. For enterprising families, the deeper insight is that legacy is not static; it is interpreted and renewed across generations. AI may become a voice of the next generation, offering younger family members a concrete way to contribute to continuity, if families are willing to turn legacy into a living conversation. Read the full article, Is AI a Threat to Legacy, or a New Way to Coauthor It?
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.”
Artificial Intelligence, Consulting, Decisions, Family, Family Office, Leadership and Strategy, Management, Ownership, Research Findings
Our Wish for 2026: Conversations That Build Capacity for the Year Ahead
This piece closes the loop on a year of Family Enterprise Insights by naming the common thread beneath our 2025 research: trust as infrastructure.
Family Voices, Leadership, Management
2022 Conference Recap: Navigating the Post-Pandemic World
Leaders in retail, real estate, and spoke about how their businesses pivoted during the pandemic and what the “new normal” looks like.
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Artificial Intelligence, Decisions, Family, Governance, Management, Research Findings
Is AI a Threat to Legacy, or a New Way to Coauthor It?
As Columbia Business School deepens its institutional commitment to AI through its AI in Business Initiative and the upcoming "MBA Transformed: AI and Beyond" teaching symposium on June 1, 2026, family enterprises face a parallel question: is AI a threat to legacy, or a new way to coauthor it? A recent study in the Journal of Product Innovation Management, "AI Adoption in Family Firms: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Paradoxical Roles of Passive and Active Family Involvement," suggests AI adoption is as much a relationship and governance challenge as a technological one. Drawing on 125 interviews and survey data from 1,444 German firms, the authors find that passive family ownership may slow adoption, while active family management can accelerate it, particularly when paired with strong external ties to suppliers, customers, and even competitors. For enterprising families, the deeper insight is that legacy is not static; it is interpreted and renewed across generations. AI may become a voice of the next generation, offering younger family members a concrete way to contribute to continuity, if families are willing to turn legacy into a living conversation. Read the full article, Is AI a Threat to Legacy, or a New Way to Coauthor It?
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.”
Artificial Intelligence, Consulting, Decisions, Family, Family Office, Leadership and Strategy, Management, Ownership, Research Findings
Our Wish for 2026: Conversations That Build Capacity for the Year Ahead
This piece closes the loop on a year of Family Enterprise Insights by naming the common thread beneath our 2025 research: trust as infrastructure.
Family Voices, Leadership, Management
2022 Conference Recap: Navigating the Post-Pandemic World
Leaders in retail, real estate, and spoke about how their businesses pivoted during the pandemic and what the “new normal” looks like.
Family, Management, Ownership, Practitioner Perspectives, Strategy
How to Build and Sustain a Successful, Enduring Enterprise
The HBR Family Business Handbook brings sophisticated guidance and practical advice from family business experts Josh Baron, adjunct professor, Columbia Business School, and Rob Lachenauer.
Family, Family Voices, Leadership, Management, Ownership
Co-President Siblings Steward a Century-old Family Business
111 years since its founding as Massachusetts Envelope Company, Ben Grossman ’06, along with his brother, David, are the 4th generation of Grossman Marketing Group. This podcast, from The Business of Family, explores legacy, leadership and life lessons.
Consulting, Family, Management, Research Findings
How does paid family leave impact father’s leaves and dual-earner households?
This paper provides evidence on the impact of paid leave legislation on fathers’ leave-taking, as well as on the division of leave between mothers and fathers in dual-earner households.
Family, Management, Ownership, Research Findings
How do firms, managers and incentives match up?
In a journal article by Oriana Bandiera, Luigi Guiso, Andrea Prat, and Raffaella Sadun, the authors combine unique administrative and survey data to study the match between firms and managers, illustrating how risk aversion and talent shape firms' selection and motivation of managers.