Family protocol, separation between ownership and management, founder–CEO transition. Multigenerational continuity designed before it's needed.
Only three in ten family enterprises make it to the second generation, and the cause is rarely the market: it is that succession is improvised once there is no longer time or neutrality left to design it.
This Boardcraft application separates three things that in the family enterprise tend to be mixed together: ownership, governance and management.
And it gives each its own rules, forums and entry criteria.
When I get called
The next generation is already inside the company and no one has written the rules of the game.
The founder wants to retire and what exists is an intention, not a handover mechanism.
A conflict between family branches has started being decided at the board table.
What I deliver
A family protocol or constitution
Design of the governance system with an independent board and a family forum
A founder–CEO transition plan with milestones and verifiable criteria
How it is measured
Access, compensation and exit rules written and signed by all branches
A board with at least one independent member and its own agenda
A succession plan with dates on the calendar
How much of what you built today will survive to the third generation?
Comparison table
| 01Decision Architecture | 02Strategy & Value Creation | 03Governance & Succession | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How does this board decide? | Where and how do we create value? | What will happen when I'm no longer here? |
| Counterpart | Chair and board | Board, management and investor | Ownership and family |
| Horizon | Quarterly and annual | Thirty-six months | Generational |
| Central deliverable | Value Creation Plan and decision cadence | Decision map and quantified trade-offs | Family protocol and transition plan |
| Primary indicator | Decisions closed with an owner and deadline | Return on capital employed | Signed rules and a board with independents |
Board Diagnostic
What is your board deciding this week?
The Board Diagnostic is a structured conversation about a specific decision your board has open. It is not a proposal of services.
Every request is reviewed personally by JVI.