56: The Link Between Family Business Research and Advising

Let's Talk Family Enterprise

Ambreen Bhaloo, Family Enterprise Advisor, guest hosts this episode and welcomes Francesco Barbera, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at The Ted Rogers School of Management for an in-depth discussion on the issue of homogeneity (all family firms are the same) vs. heterogeneity (all family firms are unique). In what ways does family governance lead to greater firm performance? Listen to this episode to find out!

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Guest bio

Dr. Francesco Barbera is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at The Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. His teaching and research interests encompass a wide range of topics related to family business, entrepreneurship, small business management, and family business education. Francesco is an international, award-winning author and educator and regularly presents at renowned conferences and workshops.

You can learn more about Dr. Francesco Barbera on the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Management website and on his LinkedIn.

Key Takeaways

[:26] Ambreen Bhaloo welcomes Dr. Francesco Barbera and invites him to share a little bit about his research interests and how they inform family advising.

[5:22] Dr. Barbera explains the importance of heterogeneity research when it comes to family enterprises and what this means for advisors.

[7:50] A recently published research explores how family structures impact the way governance leads to performance, Dr. Francesco shares some of the findings.

[11:07] Dr. Barbera explains what family functioning is and why it affects firm performance.

[16:11] The future of family business research looks heterogeneous; Dr. Francesco shares the areas of study he sees coming up next.

[20:23] Staying up to date on the latest academic knowledge will require work on the family advisor’s part.

[24:00] About Dr. Barbera’s work with the Family Institute.

[27:18] Dr. Francesco Barbera’s advice for advisors.

[27:48] Ambreen thanks Dr. Francesco Barbera for sharing his knowledge and closes this episode by reminding listeners about the upcoming Family Business Symposium held from May 27th to 29th in Calgary, Alberta.

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Mentioned in this episode

“Family governance and firm performance: exploring the intermediate effects of family functioning and competitive advantage”, Francesco Barbera and Tim Hasso, November 2022, Journal of Family Business Management 13(2)

The Family Business Symposium will take place on May 27‒29, 2024 in Calgary.

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