May 27, 2026 · 34 min · 10 segments
Dennis Jaffe — organizational psychologist, senior research fellow at Banyan Global, and one of the founding voices in family enterprise consulting — joins R. Adam Smith to explore why succession so…
Dennis JaffeGuest
R. Adam SmithHostNo entities detected.
On this episode, I'm joined by Dennis Jaffe, one of the original architects of the field of family enterprise consulting and a defining voice globally on multi-generational wealth, governance, and continuity.
For more than four decades, Dennis has worked with global families navigating one of the most complex transitions any institution can face, how to transfer not just the wealth and ownership, but also all the values, purpose, and responsibility across generations.
And what makes his work distinct is his dual lens, essentially as both an organizational elite consultant and a clinical psychologist, allowing him to operate where most advisors struggle at the intersection of both family dynamics and enterprise design.
His work has helped shape hundreds of families and modern family offices, how they think about succession, not just as an event, but a long-term system.
He is a senior research fellow at Banyan Global, a founding member of The Family Firm Institute, as well as a family business fellow at Cornell's Johnson College of Business.
And for 35 years, he was a professor of organizational systems and psychology earlier at Saybrook University in San Francisco, where he lives and where he is now professor emeritus.
Earlier, he received a BA in philosophy and management and a PhD in psychology from Yale University.
Also, Dennis is an author, a writer, a presenter, a thinker, and has recent work in collaboration with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management.
This particular work outlines a practical framework for moving families from intention to action in succession planning.
So today's conversation is really about that gap, essentially, and what it takes to close it.
On this episode, I'm joined by Dennis Jaffe, one of the original architects of the field of family enterprise consulting and a defining voice globally on multi-generational wealth, governance, and continuity.
For more than four decades, Dennis has worked with global families navigating one of the most complex transitions any institution can face, how to transfer not just the wealth and ownership, but also all the values, purpose, and responsibility across generations.
And what makes his work distinct is his dual lens, essentially as both an organizational elite consultant and a clinical psychologist, allowing him to operate where most advisors struggle at the intersection of both family dynamics and enterprise design.
His work has helped shape hundreds of families and modern family offices, how they think about succession, not just as an event, but a long-term system.
He is a senior research fellow at Banyan Global, a founding member of The Family Firm Institute, as well as a family business fellow at Cornell's Johnson College of Business.
And for 35 years, he was a professor of organizational systems and psychology earlier at Saybrook University in San Francisco, where he lives and where he is now professor emeritus.
Earlier, he received a BA in philosophy and management and a PhD in psychology from Yale University.
Also, Dennis is an author, a writer, a presenter, a thinker, and has recent work in collaboration with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management.
This particular work outlines a practical framework for moving families from intention to action in succession planning.
So today's conversation is really about that gap, essentially, and what it takes to close it.
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