Analyse des transmissions d'entreprises familiales performantes afin de mettre en évidence les points forts de ces transmissions

Abstract

Family businesses represent 70% of the businesses in Belgium. Moreover, it represents 55% of the gross domestic product and 70% of the employment in small and medium size companies. By 2020, one third of all family businesses will be exposed to the transition of the property and administration. The continuity of the activity of all these companies is a major concern because it represents the spinal column of our economy. When family businesses start the process of the transmission, they ought to meet many obstacles. To quote only some examples: reluctance of the employees, family frictions…. Therefore, transmission of the family businesses is a huge issue for these businesses and one of their biggest weakness. The most common choice among predecessor is to hand it over their children. Nevertheless, only one third of family businesses will survive the second generation, and only 10 to 15% will reach the third generation. This master thesis, entitled « Analysis of transmission’s process of efficient family businesses in order to highlight their key success factors », aims to analyse how the transmissions happened in eight family business. We compared the transmission’s process in four efficient family businesses and four less efficient family businesses to compare them and establish a restricted list of key success factors. First of all, we have clarified some theoretical aspects of this subject. Then we have interviewed eight successors in order to confirm the theoretical study and draw a comparison between the transmission process in an efficient family business with the transmission process in a less efficient family business. The analysis of practical fields has brought a list of three key success factors to light. First is one predecessor’s will to hand over the business and one’s ability to give up the power. The second one is the training of heirs, the way they were formed before joining the family firm and the support of their parents inside the firm. The last key success factor highlighted is the relationship between the predecessor and the successor(s). They need to a have a relationship based on trust and cooperation.