La Usina de Emprendedores of the Cámara Argentina de Comercio y Servicios (CAC) held the activity “Gestión de objetivos intergeneracionales en la empresa de familia” to provide conceptual and practical tools for understanding and managing tensions that arise between generations in business. The event, which took place on March 19, focused on diagnosis, dialogue, and formalizing agreements within family enterprises.
The topic is important as many family businesses face challenges when different generations with varying values and expectations work together. These differences can affect daily management, decision-making, and long-term planning.
Javier González Pedraza, director of La Usina, opened the session by highlighting the significance of family businesses. He said that families already function as organizations with shared roles, dynamics, and decision-making processes. Ramiro Salvochea, a lawyer specializing in this area, led the main presentation. He said one of the main challenges is the coexistence of multiple generations—founders with strong work identification and vertical leadership; an intermediate generation shaped by analog-to-digital transition; Generation Z prioritizing work-life balance; and a younger group influenced by the pandemic and virtuality. Salvochea explained these generational differences impact goal-setting and everyday operations.
Salvochea also said these dynamics are not linear: relationships beyond just parents and children add complexity to organizational life. He suggested that addressing intergenerational tensions starts with proper diagnosis and creating spaces for dialogue to build consensus. Regarding succession planning, he remarked it should be seen as a gradual process transferring leadership, culture, and responsibilities over about ten years rather than a single event.
The session discussed how younger generations often value environmental, social, and governance criteria more highly than older ones. To manage such differences, participants were introduced to the family protocol—a tool for organizing agreements on sensitive topics like profit distribution or reinvestment—and to the role of a family council as a regular forum for separating family matters from business decisions.
During discussions, attendees proposed integrating a strategic business plan into protocols to align generational objectives and bringing in external consultants or directors for objectivity in decision-making. On incorporating relatives into the business, they emphasized avoiding absolute rules but establishing formal criteria such as requiring prior experience or defined internal paths to reduce conflicts.
The meeting concluded with reflection on not postponing these issues. In contexts where intergenerational tensions are inevitable, proper management can strengthen business continuity while preserving long-term family ties.
