Generation to Generation

In this summary you will learn

• How family-owned businesses move through distinct developmental stages as both family and business evolve
• How the challenges of organizing a family business can affect its fortunes
• How to overcome these challenges by using a mixture of planning, goal setting, and structured communications

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Why you should read Generation to Generation

Most businesses in the world today are owned by families, but only a small percentage of these companies will survive and grow into major corporations. The unique challenges posed by family ownership can undermine even the best-performing small business, as issues of control and succession permeate the generations. In Generation to Generation, the authors apply the simple premise that managing a family-owned business to a large extent means managing the family itself. To that end, they provide a rich compendium of research and strategic suggestions for those charged with making a family business work, including the consultants who guide them. getAbstract.com highly recommends this book for these applicable measures and methods, which will help the performance of both business and family.

About the Authors

John A. Davis  is president of the Owner Managed Business Institute in Santa Barbara and a consultant specializing in family work relationships and family business governance. He is on the editorial board of Family Business Review and contributes to Family Business magazine. Kelin E. Gersick is a co-founder and senior partner of Lansberg, Gersick and Associates, a consulting and research firm in New Haven, Connecticut. Ivan Lansberg is an organizational psychologist, a senior faculty member of the Owner Managed Business Institute, and a co-founder and senior partner of Lansberg, Gersick and Associates. Marion McCollom Hampton is an associate professor of organizational behavior at the Boston University School of Management.