Alessandro Dragonetti
21 May 2018
In an interview for “Affari & Finanza” (economy and finance supplement of La Repubblica newspaper), Alessandro Dragonetti explains what is necessary for businesses to succeed in the market, especially for SMEs and family businesses that need to face growth or strategic changes.
Problems for Italian businesses are often related, rather than to assessment errors on business decisions, to the difficulty - once identified what to do - in making the right strategic changes, and making them quickly, because the market needs a prompt response.
[…] “The typical structure of the Italian business world, made up mainly of family-run small and medium enterprises, is put to the test when it comes to combining business issues with corporate and private issues. Therefore, they need to implement an integrated approach to manage of the challenges arising in the so-called family business”.
[…] One of the main priorities today is growth. […] “M&A operations, strategy and trade agreements, the contribution of third-party capital and the transfer of the majority of shares are all possibilities that companies can use to deal with the need to stay competitive”. […] “Also some other European countries have a predominance of SMEs in their entrepreneurial fabric, but they all lack a strict correspondence of management and ownership”.
Dragonetti also points out the importance of hiring external managers in the family business.
“The role of advisors on this aspect can be crucial. It is important to advise entrepreneurs so to make them aware that external professionals help their business grow in a sustainable way, ensuring prosperity for the business itself and the family”. New managers can also boost internationalization, “which is essential to diversify risks and identify new markets.” The entry of new resources into business boards can also contribute to a proper succession planning, which is an insidious and delicate phase.”
