Strategy & Leadership
- Aligning the family council before board-level decisions is essential for effective governance.
- Board composition must balance independence, diversity, and long-term stewardship.
- Clear separation of the chair and CEO roles can support objectivity and continuity.
- Succession planning must connect generational values with strategic foresight.
How should family boards navigate leadership succession and board composition without triggering conflict or losing legacy? A new business case from HEC Paris plunges participants into Dorsay Logistics — a fictional but lifelike logistics company led by its third generation. Using immersive role-play, the case helps board members and family stakeholders prepare for one of the most delicate transitions in business: appointing future leaders while safeguarding values, cohesion, and governance effectiveness.
Why Board Appointments Start in the Family Council
This business case is specifically designed to be taught as a role-play to an audience belonging to the family business governance ecosystem. It highlights the importance of a thorough collective decision-making process within the family council regarding board members appointments, prior to their discussion at the operational company board of directors’ level.
A Realistic Role Play for a Third-Generation Firm
Dorsay Logistics, a fictitious family business founded in 1961 based in Lyon France, is one of Europe’s main transportation and logistics services players. With around €900 million revenues achieved in the previous fiscal year, 15% outside of the European Union. Dorsay Logistics is now facing different governance challenges that are usually met by third generation family members.
Teaching Governance
Through Immersion and Role Play This immersive case provides a practical, hands-on approach to crafting a multigenerational transition framework for family enterprises. It aims to nurture family ethos and values across generations while fostering active support for the company's value creation potential. The simulation emphasizes the importance of preserving the legacy inherited from previous generations while simultaneously professionalizing corporate governance.
Sources
A new business case has been published with Harvard Business Publishing and The Case Centre authored by Gérard de Maupeou, and Philippe Pelé‑Clamour, both Adjunct Professors at Dieter Schwarz Foundation Family Business Center, HEC Paris and Cécile Helme‑Guizon, Lecturer at HEC Paris.
Economics & Finance
