Anuário da Indústria de Implementos Rodoviários 2020

76 O ne of the greatest challenges of family businesses is to know how to deal with the departure of the founder. The image of the entrepreneur is connected to the “passion” for the business, translated into exceptional care for customers, suppliers, employees and anyone else they have contact with. Other dilemmas to consider are: how to keep the founder’s culture and values? How to adapt the culture to new times, in the face of new demands, technologies or market trends? The recurring question with each generation change is: how can we ensure that corporate values are transferred to successors and continue to be part of the organizational culture? Statistical data referring to family businesses show that about 30% of companies survive the second generation and only 5% get to the third. This is mainly due to the absence of preparation for successors, who often get educated at universities, but do not understand corporate reality, the organizational dynamics and their impact on strategic directions. Culture directly impacts organizational behavior, the way the company works with the market and its presence in the development of the location. The majority of family businesses run local operations. In the community where they operate, they are personally recognized and, in many cases, bear the founder’s surname, which is a reference of an entire family line. The organizational culture in family businesses, therefore, is translated into a very peculiar way, namely through:  Their employees’ loyalty;  The close relationship between family members and the organizational body;  Through their closeness with customers, suppliers, banks, and other institutions; and  The founder’s charismatic image, who is seen as a visionary entrepreneur, whose effort required to strengthen the company is exemplary. All of these points are extremely important to maintaining the family business’ values and culture. Even if there are disadvantages, cultural references are still more significant than the problems caused. The problems of family businesses are:  The relationship with employees is patronizing;  The closeness between the business family and those with whom it relates can trigger a lack of professionalism in corporate processes; and  And the founder’s charism is difficult to be passed on. Therefore, the only way to maintain culture and development is through corporate governance actions. It is necessary to professionalize without losing the business’ core. Every family business will need to go through professionalization processes, as it is understood that a company without formal rules and structured processes will not be prepared to meet the increase in family members, considering that it grows exponentially. Thus, the number of partners will be greater due to inheritance. Transparency and accountability among partners are key to the harmony of the company and the family. Conflicting families weaken the family business. Good governance must be assured so that corporate managers act professionally, whether they are family members or not. Even with the adoption of explicit practices and norms, a rule that reflects the founder’s values cannot be tainted, that is: “The family must serve the company, not the company serve the family.” Founders, as a rule, adopt this practice which is definitely key for the perpetuation of the family business and the founder’s dream. Is my company prepared for the absence of the founder? By Domingos Ricca, consultant who specializes in family businesses and is a partner at Ricca & Associados ARTIGO | ARTICLE | ARTÍCULO Statistical data referring to family businesses show that about 30% of companies survive the second generation and only 5% get to the third.