Intergenerational Flourishing: Sharing Knowledge from Generation to Generation in Mexican Family Business Groups

Sharing and integrating knowledge among generations is essential because it contributes to the continuity of Family Business Groups (FBGs). In this chapter, we explore the impact of sharing knowledge mechanisms among generations in three Mexican FBGs that allow them to flourish intergenerationally. We identified three sharing knowledge mechanisms (knowing that, knowing how, and collective knowing) and their respective strategies that are necessary in order to allow knowledge to flow in FBGs. Intergenerational flourishing is a dynamic process based on four sets of competencies (Governance and Leadership, Family Entrepreneurship, Intergenerational Culture, and Ownership and Legacy) that enterprising families that govern the FBG should develop. In this study, we can observe the impact of knowledge-sharing mechanisms and their strategies in each of these four competencies. The implications of these results for research and practice are discussed.