Tuesday, 27 March 2012

The art of family business- a hand on the tiller

http://www.ifb.org.uk/ The family business sector has been noted for its steady performance and is arguably coming out of the recession with fewer scars than the corporate sector generally. Such seeds of resilience that exist were sown during good times when family firms grew more slowly than their non-family counterparts; this might have cost them ground by not grabbing every new slice of business, but their caution has helped strengthen the sector’s balance sheets.

In an example of this a recent Financial Times article showed how family businesses have gained an advantage in the world shipping industry and this time it’s the Greeks showing the Germans how it’s done.

When business boomed prior to the recent recession, Greek shipowning families set aside funds to build up cash reserves ready to weather any downturn that struck the industry. Their main rivals from Germany, who mainly rely on investing other people’s money, made risky bets borrowing excessively which put many firms on course to sink into insolvency. Greek family business shipowners have therefore strengthened their grip on this industry by the careful stewardship of their resources and by keeping a tight hand on the tiller.

As every business leader knows a cautious approach to finance is not a sufficient platform for success; new research argues that one of the keys to performance is the behaviour of owners. Experts are beginning to say that the correct governance approach in firms involves the active engagement of owners - this applies particularly to family firms.

Professor Ajay Bhalla, of the Cass Business School, puts down much of the success of the leading German family firm Merck KG, now in its 11th generation, to the family’s hands-on approach. Prof Bhalla also cites other firms (see video) who have gone off track when the family has retreated from active involvement in setting strategic goals and monitoring performance.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the interesting example of 'taking the longer view', with the shipping industry. It is not the only sector with a pattern of highs and lows, that a longer term view can anticipate and weather.
    Perhaps the close involvement of family owners contrasts with that of investors because of the contrast in their aims: families might be aiming for long term stability, steady growth and excellence where as the investor-driven business can have a short term financial return uppermost; unlike the family owner, the investor may well imagine themselves long gone by the time recession bites.
    Lets continue to explore and highlight what 'responsible ownership' is, and how it effects others. I see this as an area in which families-in-business can contribute

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