3. Core issues
Since Oliver is aware of the fact that he cannot lead the company for the next fifteen years, and that he and his family should therefore approach the subject of his retirement within the next fifteen years, there are several issues brought up for discussion. These issues are basically all linked to succession planning.
The first issue is about gender. From Robert's point of view, it would not be a good decision to let Oliver’s daughters take over the business. He believes that as girls, they could never become dominant enough to represent, manage and defend the company within such a hard, male-dominated and often very corrupt German sanitary industry. He worries that choosing Laura and Luise as successors would inevitably cause that business suffers. Robert would prefer the business to remain successful for at least the next thirty years, as he wants his son, Paul, to have a secure working place till the end of his working life, because he knows he is 39 years old now and very happy in his lower management position. On the other hand, for Oliver, this gender issue is completely non-sense. He thinks his daughters are very strong characters and very well suited for this position. Also Paul has this impression.
Secondly, Oliver has the impression that also some leading employees would not take his daughters seriously, and would not accept them as their future chiefs and employers. The reason for this is apparently that these are employees that have been working for the company for almost twenty years, which means that they know Laura and Luise since they had been sitting on their labs as very young children. Laura has already felt this sometimes, which is also one cause why she tries to leave the doors open to probably leave the company after a few years, in case this situation will not change. Oliver is aware of his daughter's doubt whether she could become a character that would be accepted, both by the industry and by the elder employees, as a competent prospective manager and owner.
The third issue of this context is about another doubt of Oliver's daughters. On the one hand, both Laura and Luise would prefer taking over the business, rather than working somewhere else, because they have experienced that it is not just a business, but also a part of their father. Thus, they would be even proud and would honestly try their best to succeed it. But on the other hand, they have also experienced that the business is an integral part of their father's life, as he always works seven days a week, till late at night, never goes on holiday,
Since Oliver is aware of the fact that he cannot lead the company for the next fifteen years, and that he and his family should therefore approach the subject of his retirement within the next fifteen years, there are several issues brought up for discussion. These issues are basically all linked to succession planning.
The first issue is about gender. From Robert's point of view, it would not be a good decision to let Oliver’s daughters take over the business. He believes that as girls, they could never become dominant enough to represent, manage and defend the company within such a hard, male-dominated and often very corrupt German sanitary industry. He worries that choosing Laura and Luise as successors would inevitably cause that business suffers. Robert would prefer the business to remain successful for at least the next thirty years, as he wants his son, Paul, to have a secure working place till the end of his working life, because he knows he is 39 years old now and very happy in his lower management position. On the other hand, for Oliver, this gender issue is completely non-sense. He thinks his daughters are very strong characters and very well suited for this position. Also Paul has this impression.
Secondly, Oliver has the impression that also some leading employees would not take his daughters seriously, and would not accept them as their future chiefs and employers. The reason for this is apparently that these are employees that have been working for the company for almost twenty years, which means that they know Laura and Luise since they had been sitting on their labs as very young children. Laura has already felt this sometimes, which is also one cause why she tries to leave the doors open to probably leave the company after a few years, in case this situation will not change. Oliver is aware of his daughter's doubt whether she could become a character that would be accepted, both by the industry and by the elder employees, as a competent prospective manager and owner.
The third issue of this context is about another doubt of Oliver's daughters. On the one hand, both Laura and Luise would prefer taking over the business, rather than working somewhere else, because they have experienced that it is not just a business, but also a part of their father. Thus, they would be even proud and would honestly try their best to succeed it. But on the other hand, they have also experienced that the business is an integral part of their father's life, as he always works seven days a week, till late at night, never goes on holiday,
and even has serious sleeping troubles because he keeps thinking about the business even
when he is asleep. If Laura and Luise are expected to succeed the business as well as Oliver
does, they are concerned that they could never start an own family - especially because they
are women. When they tell Oliver about their concerns, he usually tells them: "Oh, don't
worry. This is merely a question of organisation." But they believe it would be much more
difficult or even impossible because they cannot imagine how to arrange such a time-
consuming and sophisticated job with family life.
The fourth issue is that Oliver does not want to sell the business, but wants it to be further run by the family. He is very proud of his company, and from his point of view, a reason why he has always been working so hard is also to create wealth for his family, and to establish secure working places like those great management positions for his two daughters.
For Oliver and his daughters, these issues are very serious, as no one of them really has an idea how to come to a solution.
The fourth issue is that Oliver does not want to sell the business, but wants it to be further run by the family. He is very proud of his company, and from his point of view, a reason why he has always been working so hard is also to create wealth for his family, and to establish secure working places like those great management positions for his two daughters.
For Oliver and his daughters, these issues are very serious, as no one of them really has an idea how to come to a solution.
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