I by IMD

I by IMD offers first-person business intelligence from the brightest thinkers in academia, business and society. Written by experts for experts, we present a platform for debate on the latest issues in management, strategy, technology, finance, team building and innovation. Our content ecosystem is designed to spark conversation and deliver actionable insights to a broad and engaged global audience. We host conversations – via articles, comment pieces, videos and podcasts – about the latest issues in management. Whether ideas about companies or office politics, we aim to spark debate – you may not agree with everything you read here – and to deliver actionable insights to an engaged global executive audience.

‘Tis the season to celebrate the family

Does tech and the silver tsunami spell the end of the business dynasty? • It's too early to tell which of the current wave of successful enterprises will turn out to be built to last, but the creation of family-led giants in the mold of Tata or Ford seems unlikely in an ICT-driven business landscape, writes Jerry Davis

Football's elite and the tactics of talent management • Successful managers at the top level need a wide range of skills to lead teams both on and off the field. Renowned football writer Simon Kuper presents his best XI tips (plus a substitute) for thinking like a champion

In turbulent times, family enterprises must reinvent and renew to survive • Family businesses have been traditionally hard-wired for longevity and stewardship, seeking to preserve and grow wealth across generations. This patient approach offers transferable lessons for all organizations navigating uncertain times. But family enterprises must also now adapt and evolve to survive, writes Peter Vogel

What is the family enterprise ecosystem?

How family businesses responded to the COVID-19 crisis

Families in business

To shape your future, own your history … however uncomfortable • After the controversy surrounding rap star Ye's anti-Semitic comments, the sportswear giant adidas found itself under the spotlight for historical links to the Nazi regime, Lindsay Krasnoff explains how a legacy company can reframe the narrative

The Baltimore Sun says sorry

Adidas ends Ye deal

Futurity, continuity and perseverance: the key assets in surviving adversity • A certain type of family firm showed resilience in the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study by Alfredo De Massis and Ivan Miroshnychenko. Here they explain their findings, which they hope will contribute to the debate about how to deal with any future crisis

A passionate investment • Gaw Capital, a real estate investment firm, was set up by two brothers and a friend from university in 2005. Three years later, their banker sister Christina Gaw accepted an offer to join them. She explains how she used her expertise to raise Spital and structure the business, which now $34bn of assets under management

What fictional family dramas can teach us about real life • Family businesses seem to be made for the movies and television. They have everything: success, power and riches, as well as dysfunction and drama, Most are a caricature of reality, but nonetheless some useful themes emerge. Kimberly Eddleston, a professor who specializes in family business and teaches a course entitled ‘Examining Family Business Through Film’, shares some key takeaways

The anatomy of a merger How to ensure the long-term future of a family firm • To sell, merge, list or delist is a difficult decision that many business-owning families face at some point. Peter Vogel reflects on just such a turning point in the history of Firmenich, a 127-year-old Swiss family business which earlier this year announced its decision to merge with publicly listed ingredients and bioscience group DSM

How to...