DIAGNÓSTICO DE LA PERCEPCIÓN SOBRE LA IMPORTANCIA DEL PROTOCOLO EN LA SUCESIÓN DE LAS EMPRESAS FAMILIARES DE GUAYAQUIL

Abstract

Family businesses have their founders, who have been responsible for leading the companies in the first generation, however, it comes a time in which the leadership must be transferred to another member of the organization. Due to the inherent formality of the private or non-family businesses, leaders will always have a successor because there has been a plan for coupling and delegation of new functions. However, due to the informality present in family businesses, they usually do not elaborate a family protocol for a future transition and when a new leader is needed, the person in charge does not always have the appropriate profile and competences, which compromises the sustainability of the company in the long term. The objective of this research paper is to diagnose the perception that leaders of family businesses in Guayaquil have about the family protocol and to raise awareness about the protocol as a tool for continuity. The research has a qualitative and exploratory approach, having as the unit of study family businesses in Guayaquil. Throughout the paper are defined the terms family business, family protocol and succession. There is a literary review of research papers focusing on the problems that face family businesses in Guayaquil. Finally, the paper presents the results of interviews to 12 leaders of companies in Guayaquil and 3 experts in the field, allowing the managers of these companies to evaluate the importance and necessity of creating a family protocol to achieve an adequate succession and to project the company in the long term as sustainable over time.