Anupama Puranik
Appearances
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
Thank you, Emma. It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
We are at a very important time in the evolution of family businesses around the world, especially here in Asia. And as we all know, any change management that happens creates a lot of tension within organizations, and that's no different for family businesses. So we often see a lot of strife happening at the time when families are either going through a generational shift.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
So the next generation is stepping in as the leaders are perhaps planning their journey out, but haven't necessarily gotten there. We could have a situation where new family members, cousins, in-laws, et cetera, are getting added to the business. Or we have a whole bunch of new professional managers coming in with absolutely new ideas. And you put all of this together,
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
In an environment that's rapidly changing because of digitalization, because of sustainability issues, because of environmental factors, it starts creating a lot of different opinions within the organizations. And you start seeing that tension coming up within the families themselves as well.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
Emma, I think as organizations are going through this transformation, especially family businesses, it is extremely important for them to reflect on whether this is a transformation on their grants and the family values, or is it really about the business context? And often when the older generation and the younger generation sit together to discuss this, the lines get blurred.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
So the important part is have that very open and honest conversation. When the shift is about adapting to the new business context, to the environment, to the new ways of doing business, and de-alienating that from the original brand and value proposition of the organization, those conversations get a lot easier.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
A lot of times people react the way they do because they feel like they haven't been heard. And if this next generation can spend that little extra time listening to their stakeholders, understanding where they're coming from, and then using those guidelines to decide what that business context goes, where it goes from here, they will find it a lot easier.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
to bring that change which they want to bring within the business.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
So Emma, the Asian family enterprises are now coming of age and they're making their mark in their world as they grow out of their local markets.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: How can family enterprise leaders stay ahead in a fast-changing world?
While they are younger families compared to the US and European families, probably in their second or third generation at best, these families are growing in a world that is rapidly digitizing and so their growth trajectory and the speed of growth is way faster than what you might have seen in other families from other parts of the world.