Book Description: Generation to Generation Life Cycles of the Family Business Authors: [Author Names] January 1, 1997 Kelin E. Gersick Genre: Business, Family Dynamics, Entrepreneurship Overview: Generation to Generation presents one of the first comprehensive overviews of family business as a specific organizational form, focusing on the inevitable maturing of families and their firms over time. The authors reveal the dynamics and challenges family businesses face as they move through their life cycles, asking questions such as what is the difference between an entrepreneurial startup and a family business, and how does one become the other? How does the meaning of the business to the family change as adults and children age? How do families move through generational changes in leadership, from anticipation to transfer and then separation and retirement? The book is divided into three sections that present a multidimensional model of a family business, using the model to explore the various stages in the family business life span and extract generalizable lessons about how family businesses should be organized, managed, and led. Plot Summary: Section 1: Founding and Start-Up The book begins by exploring the founding and start-up stage of family businesses, where the authors delve into the differences between entrepreneurial startups and family businesses.

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