Future Family Enterprise: Sustaining Multigenerational Success

"Our family recently completed MIT Sloan Executive Educations Future Family Enterprise: Sustaining Multigenerational Success program in Cambridge, and I can say without hesitation that it was one of the most meaningful experiences we have shared together. We did not attend looking for a formula or expecting the program to solve our challenges. This experience was not the savior of our family. It was the beginning. Like many multigenerational family enterprises, we arrived carrying important questions: How do we preserve enterprise value while creating new opportunities? How do we build governance where none exists? How do we align vision across generations? What does succession really mean? And ultimatelyhow do we want our family and enterprise to be remembered? The program created the environment to confront these questions honestly. A special thank you to John Davis, whose decades of leadership in the family enterprise field continue to shape how families think about continuity, stewardship, and legacy. Thank you as well to Courtney Collette, whose insight and preparation helped set the foundation before we ever arrived in Cambridge, and to Mark Hatzenbuehler for helping guide conversations that challenged us to think beyond structure and into purpose. Id like to acknowledge all the other important members of the team. Great work What stood out most was that this was not simply a discussion about wealth, governance, or ownership. It was about responsibility. Responsibility to preserve what previous generations built. Responsibility to prepare future generations to lead. And responsibility to intentionally design the future rather than inherit it by default. We left MIT with frameworks, perspective, and difficult conversations still ahead of us. But we also left with clarity: Preserving wealth is not enough. We must preserve capability, relationships, values, and the ability of future generations to carry the enterprise forward. For our family, this experience marked the start of our next chapter. Keith M Family"

Keith M

"Family succession is the final test of greatness, but there is no magic formula. We attended this program as a group of 11 next-gen family members seeking a deeper understanding of the family enterprise system as a whole and guidance to navigate such a rare event. The standout was Professor Daviss model for understanding how to transcend for generations. It gave us language for things we had felt but couldnt communicate with others, and helped us see the big picture of what it takes to sustain a family enterprise in the long term. By understanding the family system as a whole, we were able to depersonalize conflict and resolve things that had been difficult to address before. I strongly recommend attending this program with as many family members as possible. Family teamwork and family change are no easy task this intensive week of learning is worth your time and money."

Pablo M

"This was, without exaggeration, one of the best course we have ever participated in. What made it exceptional was the combination of a brilliantly led program and the incredible families who participated alongside us. Their stories, ideas, and cases enriched the experience enormously. We left full of optimism and creative ideas for both our personal lives and our businesses and we're already putting them into action. A sincere thank you to the entire MIT Executive Education team for an unforgettable experience."

Grzegorz T

"The course organised everything I knew about owning and sustaining a family business into well-structured categories."

Cyprian T

"It was amazing to learn from the case studies, discuss them in class and hear about the other participant families' way of doing things."

Luis G

"Applying the knowledge acuquired in this program significantly increases the likelihood of the company's long-term success, while preserving family harmony."

Laura Jose A

"Consolidated in a week of lecture and discussion, CFEG professors, facilitators and participants share a ton of valuable experience on the topic of Family Business transition. Most importantly, there is time for our family in to work on our own unique issues with an assigned facilitator every day."

Ramon A

"We had a great time at MIT for the FFE course, with a fantastic group of faculty, guest lecturers, and participants from different backgrounds and industries all with the common goal of learning and discussing ways to improve a family enterprise and increase the odds of enduring success. That made the interactions ever more interesting. It is a learning experience I greatly recommend, with a phenomenal way of simplifying complex topics into concise reflections and even 'practical' methods to apply. Perhaps a little bit more time on AI would have been nice, however still a very interesting class on it. I would like to give special thanks to Professor John and his team for this very memorable week."

Iñaki G

"The week we spent with professor John Davis and his team at MIT was transformative. The course is rich in concepts that will certainly resonate and guide your decisions for years to come. In addition, the exposure to all of the professors practical experience over the years, accompanying and advising family businesses around the world, is immeasurably valuable. I could not recommend this course enough to all families who want to grow and perpetuate their businesses and legacy. Finally, I highly recommend that families consider bringing some of their top executives along with them to the Program. We did just that and came back home much stronger as a Family and as a Team."

Ricardo C

"I took the course in March 2024 and it was truly incredible. The conceptual learnings and the cases discussed were remarkable. Talking about some learnings: 1) The system of a family business includes ownership, family and business. 2) Suviving companies and families are tycally those that migrate to new value creating activities - and leave behind activities that destroy values. 3) Depth discussions on Governance, the system of structures, processes, and decision-making rules that direct and control an organization. 4) Pass leadership when the next generation is ready do lead, not when the senior generation is ready to leave. Thanks for learnings."

Rodrigo A