Are companies that trumpet their “family values” all they’re cracked up to be?

The relationship between family and business is strong in the world of award-winning TV shows right now. The recent Golden Globe awards, for example, saw plaudits for the final season of Succession (which also bagged six more Emmys) and The Crown. For those who don’t know, Succession is a tale of ruthless dynastic rivalries between children of a media mogul, transparently based on Rupert Murdoch. The Crown, meanwhile, is a tale of ruthless dynastic rivalries between children of a royal family, transparently based on the British monarchy, an institution that, lest you think it’s not business- related, famously refers to itself as “The Firm”.

And then, at the other end of the Machiavellian scale, there’s schmaltzy Ted Lasso, the football comedy in which colleagues are toasted by a main character as “the family you make along the way”. It’s been nominated for a gong or two, but isn’t a winner.