Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - “Families have this idea they are different – they see themselves as unique. In our early years we said to them right away, ‘No, you’re not different!’ and they had a tough time accepting that,” laughs Joachim Schwass, co-director of business school IMD’s Family Business Center in Lausanne. As a result IMD has developed a popular and effective set of modules to help some of the world’s top family businesses see in what ways they truly are unique and in what ways they resemble every other family business on the planet. Once they reach this point they are better able to focus on securing the future of the business and the role of the family, says Schwass.
Starting Saturday 21 June, 37 family business students will test that theory in Lausanne. They are the latest group to attend IMD’s “Leading the Family Business” stream, a week-long set of classes and meetings. Some will also participate in the “Orchestrating Winning Performance” programme, a global business programme for executives and one of the reasons IMD was named one of the world’s top schools for executive education in 2008 by the Financial Times.
The families represent 16 nationalities, including the USA, Peru, India, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Chile and Croatia, and the oldest family firm among them dates back to before 1800.
