This seminar presents a fresh and practical look at an old storytelling model that has been retold for thousands of years—the Hero’s Journey—as a new methodology for the transmission of the values and principles that will inspire the entrepreneurial behavior of the next generations of families in business.

Through this workshop, the participants
1) will explore the importance of narratives, with a focus on the “founder’s myths,” and how to apply that knowledge towards a successful succession process.
2) will amplify their knowledge based on the research and practice of the dynamic utility of myths.
3) will discover a new methodology through applied and interactive exercises, based on ancient narrative models and the monomyth concept of Joseph Campbell, to help founders pass the baton and instigate entrepreneurial behavior from the next generation through transmission of values and principles of the family business.

Honey Heritage is a family business simulation published by Harvard Business Publishing. Its author, Rajiv Agarwal, will conduct a workshop on how this simulation can be used in an academic and consulting environment. This simulation is based on The Three-Circle Model (Tagiuri and Davis, 1982). This simulation follows a family as it founds a business and continues to follow the family and business through three generations. Participants in this seminar will play the role of a protagonist over these three generations and will have to make various choices along the way. These choices are examples of decisions that a family business may typically face, including professionalizing, succession, raising funds, having independent boards, etc. The simulation concludes with an outcome for the business. Participants then reflect on their performances and analyze their decisions. The simulation can be used for any family member, regardless of age and role in the family or business. This seminar gives participants a better idea of how to use this technological tool in their classroom and/or practice to help families reflect on their current thought processes and bring about change. All attendees will be given a free personal license to use during the workshop.

Conflict is a natural part of family enterprises, and how to support families in managing their conflict is an art and a science that mediators have researched and practiced. This program intends to introduce participants to common family conflict models, styles, and tools to use while working with enterprising families. The seminar will introduce a range of tools and will support participants in understanding their innate reactions to conflict. The program has been designed by seasoned mediators and members of the FFI Mediation Study Circle: John (Jack) Wofford, Jane Beddall, Richard Lutringer, Ann Begler, Natalie McVeigh, and Maya Prabhu.