Se suele afirmar que las transiciones generacionales en las empresas familiares son particularmente traumticas, resultando esto en una

alta tasa de fracasos. Nmeros ms, nmeros menos, se calcula que apenas un tercio de las empresas que logran atravesar con xito la gestin de una generacin, sobreviven a la siguiente. Sin embargo, pese a lo que casi todo el mundo cree, este comportamiento no es exclusivo de ese tipo de empresas. Segn John Hagel III, quien es co-presidente de un centro de investigacin en estrategia de Deloitte LLP en Silicon Valley, en la dcada del 30 la vida promedio de una gran empresa era de 75 aos, en tanto que en en la primera dcada del siglo 21 esa duracin promedio ha bajado a apenas 15 aos. En una observacin independiente, , y en 1997 Arie de Geus escriba en su libro The Living Company que la vida promedio de una empresa integrante del ndice S&P500 estaba entre los 40 y los 50 aos. Reforzando esta idea, Craig Aronoff, en un artculo publicado en Agosto de 2001 titulado Understanding family-business survival statistics comentaba que la tasa de sobrevida de una empresa familiar no es peor que la de cualquiera de las exclusivas empresas que componen el ndice Dow Jones. En definitiva, la cada vez ms corta duracin de la vida de las empresas no tiene correlacin alguna con el atributo de ser del tipo familiar o no. Por el contrario, y si bien an no dispongo de datos irrefutables al respecto, me permito arriesgar la hiptesis de que tal vez las empresas familiares tengan ms chances de sobrevivir que aquellas que no lo son. Explorando la fuente de la vida eterna Segn el conocido estudio realizado por Jim Collins y Jerry Porras y plasmado en su libro Built to Last, aquellas compaas capaces de preservar sus valores fundamentales sin por ello dejar de estimular un progreso permanente, son las que en el largo plazo terminan siendo exitosas y duraderas. El ya mencionado trabajo de De Geus afirma algo parecido, cuando dice que las empresas longevas comparten cuatro atributos: 1) Tienen un fuerte sentido de identidad, 2) Son tolerantes con el riesgo y alientan la experimentacin, 3) Son conservadoras financieramente y 4) Son especialmente sensibles a todo cambio que pudiera estar insinundose en el entorno. progreso, establecer y mantener una claro sentido de identidad, combinando esto con una justa cuota de audacia y bsqueda visin de futuro, a identidad, junto con una visin del futuro audaz y

What distinguishes family businesses, of course, is family. Adding family values, loyalty, pride, cohesiveness, meaning and all the other strengths of family to business ownership and management seems to provide sustenance not available to other enterprises. Given an economy that chews up and spits out whole industries; technology evolving at unprecedented rates; Wall Street probing every niche to unlock financial value; global competition; instantaneous communication; the alternative opportunities open to well-educated offspring; competition that drains margins as distribution channels are re-engineered; and the social and cultural pressures that make successful family life increasingly challenging, I believe that a 30% generational survival rate among family businesses is incredible testimony to the positive power of family when applied to business. I believe that these oft-cited statistics offer yet another reason to celebrate family businesses.

I found an opportunity for comparison by accident. In 1996, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) celebrated its 100th anniversary. Its 30 companies represent the largest, best capitalized paragons of U.S. industry. And yet, only one company originally included remains on the list today. I did some quick arithmetic. A hundred years at 25 years per generation represents four generations. About a third of family businesses survive in each generation. With 30 companies on the DJIA, and a one-third survival rate defined as continuing on the DJIA for four generations, we would predict that one would still be around. The survival rates of the companies comprising the DJIA and of family businesses in general turns out to be the same! The single company from the original list that survived is General Electric. GE is generally considered to be one of the best managed and capitalized companies in the world. CEO Jack Welsh is considered among the best in the business, and GE is famous for providing other major companies' CEOs. According to statistics, your family business has the same chance of survival as General Electric. Does that suggest that a four-generation, 3-5% survival rate is "meager"? Rather than bemoaning family business survival rates, we should judge them as somewhere between normal and extraordinary. Indeed, I'm wondering what strengths family businesses have that allow them the same survival rate as companies like GE. What do family businesses have that most of the DJIA component companies lack? What distinguishes family businesses, of course, is family. Adding family values, loyalty, pride, cohesiveness, meaning and all the other strengths of family to business ownership and management seems to provide sustenance not available to other enterprises.