Unlockinglegacy— Thepathtosuperiorgrowthinfamilybusinesses Balancingtraditionandchangeforenduringsuccess May2024 kpmg.com/privateenterprisewww.spgcfb.org Foreword Findingwaysfortraditionandinnovationtoco-existisoneofthemostcommonchallengesinbuildingalastinglegacyinfamilybusinesses.Byexploringtheessenceoflegacyanditsimpactonbusinessperformance,thedetaileddataanalysis,academicinsightsandthefirsthandexperiencesoffamilybusinessCEOsinthisreportcontributetoadeeperunderstandingoftheimportanceofbalancingtraditionandinnovationforlong-termsuccessinfamilybusinesses. Notonlydoeslegacyconnectgenerationsandhelpensurethecontinuityandheritageofentrepreneurialsuccess,butitalsoshapesthelong-termvisionofthefamily’sbusinessandguidestheirstrategicchoices.Shouldtheyexpandintonewmarkets?Investincutting-edgetechnology?Diversifyorstaytruetotheirtraditionalbusinessoperations? Legacymaysometimesweighheavilyonthosechoicesandwebelieveit’snecessaryforfamilybusinessestorecognizewhenit’srighttoleanontraditionorwhentheyshoulddaretoleapintotheunknown—withoutthefearoflosingwhatdefinesthefamilyandthefamilyenterprise. Andso,whilelegacyhasoftenhadahistoricalperspective,amorecontemporaryviewexpandsthatdefinitionbyrecognizingthatlegacyisanimportantbuildingblockforthefuturebecauseofthepositivecontributionitmakestobusinessperformanceandtheenvironmental,social,employeeandsuppliersustainabilityimpactoffamilybusinesses. Thisfuture-orientedviewofthe“essence”oflegacyisanimportantperspective—notonlybecauseoftheimpactitmayhaveonyourbusinesstoday,buthowyoucanleverageitforthesuccessoffuturegenerations. Forty-threepercentofthe2,683respondentstoourmostrecentsurveyreportedacombinationofhighbusiness,environmentalandsocialperformance,andstronglegacies—whichreinforcestheimportantlinkbetweenthestrengthoffamilybusinesslegaciesandtheirbusinessperformance. 2|Unlockinglegacy—Thepathtosuperiorgrowthinfamilybusinesses ©2024CopyrightownedbyoneormoreoftheKPMGInternationalentities.KPMGInternationalentitiesprovidenoservicestoclients.Allrightsreserved. Thisreporttakesadeeplookatthetrueessenceoflegacyintoday’sworld,andhowyouandyourfamilybusinesscanuseyourlegacyforsustainedcompetitivegrowthwellintothefuture,withtheintroductionofa“legacymatrix”thatwillhelptoguideyouthroughtransitionsinfourlegacytypesinyourfamilyandyourbusiness. Theessenceoflegacyisfuture-centric Tobegintheexplorationoftheessenceoffamilybusinesslegacies—theopportunitiesandthechallengesintoday’sworld—theSTEPProjectGlobalConsortium(SPGC)andKPMGPrivateEnterpriseconductedasurveyof2,683familybusinessCEOsfrom80countries,territoriesandregionsinthelatterpartof2023.Atanaverageageof42years,thesefamilybusinessesrepresentasignificantlevelofmaturity,stabilityandexperienceinnavigatingmanydifferentbusinesscycles,includingtheoldestfamilybusinessamongtherespondents—afamilybusinessinEuropethatiscelebratingaremarkable154yearsinbusiness. Aftercompletingadetailedanalysisofthesurveydata,weledfourregionalroundtablediscussionswith21familyleadersandnext-generationfamilymemberstodiscussthemeaningandimpactoflegacyontheirfamiliesandbusinesses. Amongthefindings,weheardaboutthe“legacyparadox”—howlegacyisanassettoafamilybusinesswhenitservesasasourceofidentity,inspirationandinnovation,butitcanalsobealiabilityifitistooentrenchedintraditionandstandsin thewayofinnovation,changeandagilityinfuturegenerations. Weexaminedfourlegacycomponents(material,biological,social,identity)fromthesurveyresultsandaddedentrepreneuriallegaciesasanimportantfifthcomponent,whichemergedfromtheroundtablediscussions.Allfivecomponentshaveanimpactonfamilybusinessresults.Thosefamilybusinessesthatreportedstronglegacyscores,forexample,alsoreportedhighbusinessperformanceandsustainabilityresults,whichwereenabledbyhighlevelsofentrepreneurialismacrossseveralgenerations. Asyou’llseefromthesefindings,thehighest-performingbusinessesalsotendtohavethestrongestlegacyscores,whichsuggeststhereisacompellinglinkbetweenthedepthofthelegacyofafamilybusiness,itsfinancialperformanceandthestrengthofitssustainabilitypractices. Thishasreinforcedourviewthatlegaciescannotbeviewedthroughalensofthepast,butasessentialingredientsforfuture-oriented,sustainablegrowth.Andwe’repleasedtohavethisopportunitytosharenewinsightsintothepowerofbuildingalegacyfamilybusinessthatdeliverssustainedbusinessandfamilyperformanceforgenerationstocome. AndreaCalabrò STEPProjectGlobalConsortiumAcademicDirector Director,IPAGChairforSustainableFamilyBusiness&EntrepreneurshipIPAGBusinessSchool E:a.calabro@ipag.fr RobynLangsford GlobalLeader,KPMGPrivateEnterpriseFamilyBusiness,KPMGInternational,andPartnerinCharge,FamilyBusinessandPrivateClientsKPMGAustralia E:rlangsford@kpmg.com.au Allofthechartsthroughoutthisreportcontaindataderivedfromthe2024STEPProjectGlobalConsortiumandKPMGPrivateEnterpriseGlobalFamilyBusinessSurvey. 3|Unlockinglegacy—Thepathtosuperiorgrowthinfamilybusinesses ©2024CopyrightownedbyoneormoreoftheKPMGInternationalentities.KPMGInternationalentitiesprovidenoservicestoclients.Allrightsreserved. Globalsurveyhighl