Generation to Generation:

Life Cycles of the Family Business

Over 80 percent of all businesses worldwide are family firms - from well-known companies like Wal-Mart and Fidelity Investments to the corner grocery store and the local lawn-care business. This comprehensive look at family businesses explores the special dynamics and challenges that these organizations face as they move through their life cycles.

Based on decades of research and consulting with hundreds of family businesses around the world, the authors present an original developmental model for understanding and managing patterns of change in family firms. With lessons about how family businesses should be organized, how issues such as succession should be handled, and what role consultants can play in facilitating these challenging transitions, Generation to Generation will be a touchstone for all who are involved in family firms and for the professionals who serve them.