Qualitaly_114

DEC. JAN. 2020 VI MAGAZINE person have to have? “He must enjoy the trust of all the people in the family and must be perceived as impartial. He may be a consultant, but sometimes it is advisable to co- opt a friend or entrepreneur who is already in the family network. DIFFERENT WORLDS At stake are two different visions of the company: “what was good twenty years ago may not be good today or even in twenty years’ time, and those who enter must have their sights on the future and bring a change that sometimes contrasts with those who must leave the reins, and it is also right as such. What are the “hot” areas? “Digitization first of all; it is now unthinkable to compete in markets without it. But it is also important to choose and evaluate well the person to be included: children or grandchildren are not always the right people. And you need training and competence: it’s wrong to think that “but they’ll be trained in the field. Today the world is moving so fast that those who enter the company should not only have studied, but also have had at least two years of experience in other companies, even better if abroad, which allows you to gain authority also with employees and collaborators, removing at least in part that sense of “father’s son” imposed from above. TABOO TO BE DEBUNKED In short, great objectivity and far-sightedness on the part of the owners is required. And it is necessary to dispel a taboo of our family-based society: “If the heir does not want to enter the company or is not able to take over, it is better to sell. Or employ an external manager with the family that remains the owner. HUMAN FACTOR There is no shortage of qualms about the new generations who have studied and who in turn tend to put themselves on a pedestal. “But to face the challenges of the global market - and the audience for Italian food is potentially global - and of competition, substantial changes are needed in the company,” says Luca Vivanti, contract professor at the Politecnico di Milano e di Torino and expert in neuromarketing. This underlines the importance of the “human factor”, in which previous generations were often intuitive masters, while today the customer experience, crucial for distinguishing itself, can and must use advanced techniques and technologies. Remembering that even if a distribution company could manage everything with e-commerce, in reality this does not work. “We need to communicate and manage the customer in the pre and post-sale also with the use of technology and on all channels including social media and WhatsApp, for example, and in this the new generations are much more adept. To manage the transition, therefore, the advice is to “not discuss it at the kitchen table but think of a strategic plan and a third party that verifies it and that manages to combine translation and innovation. THE COURAGE TO LEAVE Coldness and rationality are the necessary qualities for those who leave the reins of the company also according to Luca Pellegrini, Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Public Relations and Advertising and Professor of Marketing at IULM. “In small companies, external consultants are rarely used, the founder is often a Baby Boomer (born between 1945 and 1964) who has extreme difficulty in leaving his “creation”, or the company, towards which he has a possessive attitude that makes it very difficult to handover.” It is a common feature in all sectors, but as the company grows it increases the stakes and the problems increase exponentially when the heirs are more than one: at this point chaos is created, often. “In these cases, and still more, the transferor must have the coldness to make hard choices. Without taking for granted that the management goes to someone in the family if they lack the skills and techniques but also leadership. It is essential to be able to break away from the company. And to understand that the transition brings with it an important opportunity to innovate, in some cases even through a complete overhaul and repositioning of the company. What can we do, then? “Realising in time that the transition is a problem to be solved, accepting that physical resources are diminishing and perhaps even that one’s worldview is no longer up to date with the changes of today, and giving space to a different interpretation of the company compared to a world that has changed. All this requires courage and rationality.” But sometimes even feelings, if they are firm and deep, help to resolve various situations, Pellegrini admits. ______________________________ BOX HANDOVER AS GROWTH, FROM AUSTRIA A WINNING EXAMPLE Buratti Gmbh is a wholesaler operating in Austria, a member of Cooperativa Italiana Catering. It has recently expanded its sales area in Slovakia and Hungary.