Publications

August 1997 (Revised November 1997)
Background Note

Performance Evaluation of Family Members

By: John A. Davis

03 Aug 2008
News

Before I arrived at HBS, I had heard a lot about sections and how they really impacted people’s experiences as students here. People who graduated decades earlier told me how they still stay in touch with their section mates and how grateful they were for the community... View Details

25 Jan 2024
Video

Partners and Families at HBS

January 2025
Case

Constitutional Fiction: John Miller & the Legitimacy of Family Constitutions

By: Lauren Cohen, Octavian Graf Pilati and Sophia Pan

John Miller sat reviewing his family’s Constitution, grappling with how best to implement and enforce its provisions. Designed to prevent ambiguity in governance, the Family Constitution set out core values and guidelines to promote harmony and cohesion among family... View Details

September 2020
Case

Keeping It in the Family at the Hayden Saw Company

By: V.G. Narayanan and John Masko

In 2019, Board Chair and third-generation shareholder Helen Fullerton was preparing for a meeting to discuss Ohio-based Hayden Saw Company’s (Hayden) future as a family business. As the company entered its fifth decade, the Hayden family was dealing with three distinct... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Corporate Governance; Family Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations; Family and Family Relationships; Governing and Advisory Boards; Construction Industry; Ohio; United States

December 1996
Case

Family Assistance Plan, The (A)

By: Bruce R. Scott and Paul Bastone

Keywords: Welfare or Wellbeing

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21 Jun 2016
News

Rescuing Families from ISIS-Led Genocide

In August, 2014, a horrific ISIS attack on Yazidi towns in Northern Iraq created a humanitarian crisis that Canadian executive Michel Aziza (MBA 1991) couldn’t ignore. “This is the latest chapter in a long history of persecution for the Yazidis,” explains Aziza, who... View Details

November 2020
Case

The 1,000-Year Plan: Lee Kum Kee and Sustaining a Family Culture

By: Lauren Cohen, Dawn H. Lau and Billy Chan

The Lee family, whose Hong Kong-based Lee Kum Kee company has established itself as a legend within the Chinese and Asian sauce world, sets out to create a daring new vision of what family legacy means. With the family business having been established in 1888, and by... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Mission and Purpose; Values and Beliefs; Business and Community Relations; Organizational Structure; Strategic Planning

July 19, 2021
Article

Do Most Family Businesses Really Fail by the Third Generation?

By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer

Perhaps the most commonly-cited statistic about family businesses is their failure rates. Most articles or speeches about family businesses start with some version of the “three-generation rule,” which suggests that most don’t survive beyond three generations. But that... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Success; Perception

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04 Aug 2014
News

Market Basket Shows the Best and Worst of Family Business

23 Nov 2010
News

Resolve an Ownership Dispute in a Family Business

Nov 05 2018
Interview

Savvy Investing for the Family Office

15 Jan 2020
News

Tabloid Edition: Fugitive Carlos Ghosn and Royal Family Drama

July 2024 (Revised March 2025)
Technical Note

Note on Working with Relatives in the Family Enterprise

By: Christina R. Wing and Hillary B Sieber

This note delves into the intricacies of working with relatives, offering insights and strategic recommendations for navigating the opportunities and complexities inherent in such environments. This note will cover common challenges, best practices and key governance... View Details

Keywords: Family and Family Relationships; Governance Controls; Family Business; Business or Company Management