UPF-BSM launches the Family Business Observatory

The initiative, created in collaboration with Comertia and The Skeye and led by Oriol Amat, aims to produce research, knowledge transfer, and teaching focused on this type of company.

Family businesses represent the most significant type of company within the Catalan business sector in terms of volume of activity: approximately between 60% and 70% of business activity is carried out through this business model. In this context, the UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM), in collaboration with Comertia and The Skeye, has promoted the creation of the Family Business Observatory with the aim of analyzing and disseminating rigorous and relevant knowledge on the specific dynamics of these organizations, as well as on the main challenges they face in an economic and social environment in constant transformation.

“We want to support family businesses by providing ideas, strategic approaches, and by disseminating best practices, with the aim of contributing to the strengthening and excellence of the business sector as a whole,” explains Oriol Amat, Director of the Family Business Observatory at UPF-BSM.

Of every 100 family businesses that are created, only 10% reach the fourth generation. “This is due to problems related to succession: lack of planning, lack of professionalization, or the absence of certain governance structures within the company,” notes Amat. Through its activity, the Observatory also aims to contribute to the generational continuity of family businesses, becoming a center that connects and supports these types of companies and facilitates their adaptation to future challenges.

Knowledge transfer

Among the Observatory’s priorities are the generation and transfer of knowledge through research, the analysis of the specific characteristics of family businesses, the publication of reports and studies, and the organization of conferences and seminars. “These companies have advantages due to their very nature and long-term vision, but they also display certain unique characteristics that can make them more vulnerable if not properly managed,” points out Oriol Amat. “We would like to generate studies that help family businesses overcome all those elements that prevent them from passing successfully from one generation to the next; this involves studying how to improve corporate governance, decision-making, and how to manage key processes such as generational succession, talent management, or innovation capacity,” the expert explains.

Specialized training is another key pillar of the Observatory, which offers executive programs specifically designed to respond to the real needs of family businesses. The Observatory has already launched two postgraduate programs: one aimed at individuals with a consolidated professional background who hold management and leadership positions in family businesses, and another oriented toward more junior profiles—descendants of the family business who have not yet joined the company. “These programs aim to strengthen the competencies of family business members, align interests, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the business project,” Amat notes.

A particularly relevant challenge for this type of company arises when, over time—and especially in the transition from one generation to another—descendants do not always possess the same personal characteristics as the founders of the business. “In these cases, it becomes necessary to move toward the professionalization of the management team in order to guarantee the continuity and good governance of the company,” Amat adds.

Creating synergies

The Observatory will also promote meeting and dialogue spaces among the various stakeholders linked to family businesses in order to foster mutual learning and the creation of synergies. “We have the ambition to create an ecosystem of people connected to family businesses: from alumni who have taken part in our training programs to faculty and partner companies that help us conduct more research and disseminate it more effectively,” says the Director of the Family Business Observatory at UPF-BSM.

A company with a particular ownership structure

The different ownership structure of family businesses “conditions the entire way the company is managed,” explains Amat. Family businesses, despite their high mortality rate, “tend to last longer, as they think about the value they will pass on to future generations of the company,” the expert notes. “Making decisions with a long-term perspective means they are more prudent, more socially responsible, and, in general, managed very differently from non-family businesses.”

With the launch of this Observatory, UPF-BSM will study specific cases of family businesses, allowing knowledge to flow in two directions: from the school to the company and from the company to the school. “We would like this Observatory to contribute to generating knowledge that enables companies to enjoy healthier lifespans and deliver much greater value,” Amat concludes.