Pilots and multiplier event within FAME project in Cracow

1 October 2018

A validation of FAME training materials for FB representatives was conducted within a final conference of FAME project (a multiplier event). The conference "Contemporary Challenges for Family Firms" was organized jointly with Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Kraków, at CUE campus (Rakowicka 27) on 1st October 2018.

The reason for merging those 2 events was a scarce availability of FB representatives: we have experienced this problem already during the INSIST project.

The conference and FB workshop has gathered 31 participants from family firms. The organization of the event was as follows: first, the project manager (Dr Jan Brzozowski) has presented the basic challenges for FB in Poland, showing the importance and relevance of FAME project. Then dr Hanna Kelm has presented the basic materials from FAME project: printed textbooks have been circulated in the audience, and the e-learning materials have been displayed on the screen and commented. After this short (ca. 1 hour) presentation, the workshops followed.

There were 2 workshops: one more practical with Tomasz Żybula, director of PL-UA Chamber of Commerce (Legal changes and new trends on Polish market: challenges to FB // Zmiany prawne i nowe trendy na rynku polskim: wyzwania dla firm rodzinnych) and the second using FAME teaching materials from Module Transitions Issues (Is it worth to formalize the structure of family firm? //Czy warto formalizować strukturę firmy rodzinnej?). The second workshop included a short introduction and training using role-playing activities (exercise taken from Transition Issues on conflict-solving within FB).

After those 2 workshops the participants were finally asked to fill the questionnaires to evaluate the teaching materials. The questionnaires were prepared in Polish language, and all the lectures & workshops were also prepared in polish, as many of the participants (FB representatives) did not know English. The grading was very favourable (see the results of the evaluation available online), and the main negative comments were about the lack of availability of materials in Polish language. It is worth to note that albeit this comment is important, the basic construction of the project did not enable us to prepare teaching materials in Polish, as the partners did not have funds for the national translations.