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Governing for Generational Growth
Build a legacy that lasts
Family enterprises share a common goal: to prosper across many generations. Achieving this goal can be challenging, with complex family dynamics adding an emotional layer to already complicated business decisions. While governance structures help families preserve continuity, their greatest value lies in enabling growth, innovation, and entrepreneurial renewal across generations.
The Governing for Generational Growth program focuses on building strategies that will allow family businesses to thrive now and well into the future, with a focus on an entrepreneurial mindset. Blending entrepreneurship and family governance topics, participants will learn how to build effective governance that supports innovation and growth across generations. In addition to cutting-edge family enterprise approaches to entrepreneurship and innovation topics, the program will also address questions related to family and business governance, communication and growth strategy. These topics will be taught by a mix of esteemed Kellogg faculty and practicing subject matter experts with extensive experience in the world of family enterprises.
Groups are encouraged but NOT REQUIRED. No more than 5 participants per family enterprise are permitted to attend at one time. Requests for groups of more than five in a single session must be approved by the program’s Academic Director. Please direct your inquiry to the John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises at c-bath@kellogg.northwestern.edu.
VIDEO: Academic Director Matt Allen discusses Forming Family Enterprise Governance.
Family Enterprise Programs
The Family Enterprise suite of programs is a blend of three different learning modes designed to maximize both convenience and impact:
- Pre-Program - Participant Profiles: Establish bonds before your learning begins, aided by a custom participant profile book.
- Interactive Live Virtual Session: A half-day live virtual session before the in-person portion begins establishes a a foundation for the rest of the program.
- In-Person: An immersive experience where you are encouraged to unplug from work in a university learning environment. Forge deep connections to a global network of peers and engage with faculty formally and informally. Program sessions, meals and supplemental and social activities are face-to-face, giving you the opportunity to focus completely on learning and growth.
Family Enterprise Suite
Address the unique challenges of running a family business
Who Should Attend
- Leaders and members of family enterprises seeking to build entrepreneurial capabilities and growth strategies for long-term generational success
- Consultants or advisors are not eligible unless attending with a family member
Download Past Participant Profile
Key Benefits
- Learn from other families in a similar stage of evolution through exposure to other participants and cases
- Discover how governance structures can support innovation, entrepreneurship, and continuity across generations
- Acquire the necessary tools and a common language to put concepts into action with members of the family business
- Use findings from a dedicated growth project to immediately implement learnings to unique challenges of your organization
Program Content
Laying the foundation
- Using values and purpose to guide the family's vision
- Practicing strategic governance: designing systems around what the family hopes to achieve, not simply what it seeks to avoid
- Establishing an entrepreneurial mindset
The approach
- Creating internal structures to support growth
- Embracing failure and disruptions in the family and business
- Leveraging individual and family strengths to drive growth
Your toolkit
- Trust as the accelerator for growth and change
- Assumption testing and prototyping
- Creating a culture of growth
Greasing the wheels
- Overcoming friction in the business and the family
- Generational entrepreneurship – the next generation
- Having difficult conversations and overcoming relational frictions
Taking action
- Respecting the legacy while building for the future
- The entrepreneurial leader
Faculty
Matt Allen - Academic Director; Executive Director of the John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises and John L. Ward Clinical Professor in Family Enterprise
David Schonthal - Clinical Professor of Strategy; Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at Kellogg; Faculty Director of Zell Fellows Program; Director of the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice
What Participants Say
“This program provided an excellent overview of the issues surrounding early governance formation and transition in family business. Each time that members of my family or I take time away to wrestle with these issues, I inevitably notice growth and change in a positive direction for our family and our business.”
Owner and Neurologist, Centre for Neural Skills
“Excellent material regarding the structural dynamics of a family enterprise. Class sessions presented a mix of interesting lectures, interactive exercises and case studies. The instructors are experts in the field and very engaging in the classroom.”
General Partner, Audrey's Kitchen
“This program provided a great opportunity for me and my family to learn more about the unique issues affecting families in business, to connect with other families considering similar issues, and to carve out valuable time to discuss these issues as a family.”
COO, Corporate Settlement Solutions
Featured Videos
2027 Session
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February 16, & 22-26, 2027 Start: February 16 at 8:30 AM End: February 26 at 1:00 PM
This Approval Program is limited to individuals with specific business experience. All applications will be subject to review and approval from the program’s Academic Director. A preferred hotel rate is available at the Hyatt Coral Gables (use code 60167). |
$12,000 Fee does not include accommodations. |
Having trouble applying? Contact us at execed@kellogg.northwestern.edu or call 847.467.6018.
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