“Be a good ancestor. Plant trees whose shade you will never see.”
Principle of Whakapapa, genealogy at the foundation of Maori culture.
What does it mean to be good ancestors? What opportunities and responsibilities does this concept imply for an entrepreneur? What emerges when almost 300 Italian family businesses collectively ask themselves this question, identifying the direction to take and equipping themselves with a navigation compass?
The Legacy Book by AIDAF is a document conceived and drafted by NATIVA in collaboration with the Association of Italian Family Businesses, telling the story of this introspection and visioning activity. And it has a goal: to provide members with a tool to build a future where the business generates value not only for itself and the family but also for the planet and the entire society. A tool, therefore, to imagine, define, and pursue their own Legacy.
The document is structured following the metaphor of the tree, which symbolically recalls the legacy path and is part of AIDAF’s logo.
The first section, that of the roots, represents the historical and founding values of the association and the new regeneration model it increasingly intends to pursue, as stated in the following statement:
“AIDAF exists to support family businesses so they express their full potential, generating more value than they have used, for present and future generations.”
The trunk section, as the central and supporting element of the tree, represents the soul of AIDAF, narrating the distinctive traits of family businesses and the challenge of generational transition.
The branches and leaves are the paths to take to generate a positive impact, enriching the tree, the atmosphere, and ultimately the soil through its leaves. These are 6 directions, already identified and integrated into the association’s 2022 statute:
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
CLIMATE NEUTRALITY
ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION
WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE
COMMUNITY AND TERRITORY
CULTURE AND COMMON GOOD
This central part gathers AIDAF’s perspective on each theme, the level of awareness and relevance of each direction perceived by the members, and outlines AIDAF’s specific future commitments in its role as a guide and reference point.
Finally, the tree canopy represents the universe of consequences of the actions of family businesses and reports some of the contributions emerged in the conversations that gave life to the Legacy Book.
The Legacy Book was indeed created collaboratively with the contributions of both AIDAF’s main governance bodies and the associated companies. All members of the Board of Directors and
two members of the Scientific Committee, totaling 17 people, were individually involved in Human Exploration with NATIVA’s team, conversations aimed at bringing out the deepest individual motivations. Additionally, all associated companies were directed to a survey. The material collected, through interviews and the quantitative and qualitative data from the survey, was reworked into the Legacy Book.
As NATIVA, we often place the concept of Legacy at the center of our projects, representing a long-term vision expressed through conscious and intentional choices implemented today to care for future generations and the planet they will inhabit.
For this reason, AIDAF’s Legacy Book positions itself as the first in a series of publications reflecting the association’s and its members’ actions in the coming years. A way to commit to action and constantly report progress, setting increasingly challenging new goals.
The report can be downloaded here.