family business: working with paradoxes
a dyadic programme for family business leaders
in association with
the premise
If you lead a family business, you inherit more than a company. You inherit a legacy, a set of values, relationships built over years, and a responsibility to leave the business stronger for the next generation.
That responsibility becomes harder as the world changes. What made the business successful in the past may not be enough for the future. You need to preserve what matters, while changing what must change.
You have to decide what to preserve, and what to change. You have to respect tradition, without being trapped by it. You have to make room for innovation, without losing what made the business successful. You have to balance family emotions with business realities. And often, you have to make important decisions before everything is clear.
This is at the heart of Nayanta’s Family Business Programme. The programme helps you understand these tensions, make better choices within them, and prepare both the business and the family for the next generation.
This programme is offered in association with CII-FBN India, reflecting a shared commitment to promoting continuous learning among business-owning families.
who this programme is for?
ideally 2 participants (dyads) or more, illustratively:
-
participant 1
the leader/owner of a family business
-
participant 2, 3, or more
ideally including the next generation and/or senior non-family member
questions you care about
- Is the most competent person leading my business?
- Am I preparing the next generation to inherit ownership, leadership—or both?
- How should I balance family harmony with business growth?
- Does my governance support the future of both the family and the business?
- Am I building for scale and not split?
- What conversations am I avoiding today that will shape the future of the family business?
- How do I balance family values with the need to change and innovate?
key programme paradoxes
Family businesses constantly navigate tensions that have no simple answers. The programme explores these paradoxes through real business situations, cases, and conversations across the five residencies.
- equality versus meritocracy
- emotion versus objectivity
- continuity versus change
- ambiguity versus clarity
- stewardship versus ownership
- tradition versus innovation
programme objectives
- distinguish between ownership and stewardship - what does it mean to hold a business in trust across generations?
- navigate succession as a developmental, relational, legal, and institutional process
- design family and business governance systems capable of managing paradoxes constructively
- understand and manage the dynamic between family owners and non-family members
- translate reflection into actionable stewardship, succession, governance, and operating frameworks
exceptional learning experiences
- sutradhar (anchor facilitator): Senior family business leaders anchor the journey– enabling reflection, connecting disciplines, and synthesising learning
- Nayanta Conversations: Candid dialogues with leaders across fields, offering insights into journeys, decisions, and ways of thinking
- international immersion: Explore how family enterprises worldwide balance continuity, stewardship, tradition, and change across generations.
- practitioner-led learning: Learn alongside experienced family business practitioners and leaders, through real case-studies, bringing real-world perspectives and experiences into the programme
- mentoring: Be paired with a senior family business leader for individual mentoring and coaching, offering a safe space to reflect on your own business challenges
our faculty
the programme structure
A 10-month journey blending learning and reflection.
immersive residencies
- three five-day residencies at the Nayanta University campus
- a five-day residency in Japan, to get exposure to different family business contexts and broaden perspectives
- closing with three-day valedictory residency
the programme calendar
| residency: | dates: | duration: | location: |
|---|---|---|---|
| residency 1 | 22 – 26 February 2027 | 5 days | Pune |
| residency 2 international immersion | 12 – 16 April 2027 | 5 days | Japan |
| residency 3 | 14 – 18 June 2027 | 5 days | Pune |
| residency 4 | 31 August – 4 September 2027 | 5 days | Pune |
| residency 5 (valedictory) | 11 – 13 November 2027 | 3 days | Pune |
for registrations, email [email protected]
to know more, write to Nema Madnani at [email protected]
Early bird and special discounts for CII-FBN members are available.