Since its foundation in 2016, the Family Business Center has carried out applied research projects in close collaboration with family businesses in order to help family owners maintain and further increase their economic strength in a sustainable manner.
Research into succession in family businesses focuses on analysing strategies and mechanisms for the successful transfer of management and ownership. Key questions include identifying successors, analysing transition processes and assessing the impact on business performance and family relationships. Both individual factors such as the abilities and motivation of successors and structural aspects such as governance models and corporate culture are taken into account.
Research on family governance aims to develop and analyse governance systems to manage the complex relationship between family and business. It looks at issues of power distribution, decision-making and conflict resolution within the family and between family members and external stakeholders. An interdisciplinary approach integrates insights from management, sociology and psychology to identify and develop effective governance structures.
Family identity research is concerned with analysing the symbolic and narrative elements that shape the unique identity of a family business. Here, rituals, stories and shared values are regarded as central objects of investigation in order to understand the cohesion within the family and its influence on the family business. Qualitative methods such as interviews and case studies are used to explore the dynamic processes of identity formation and transformation.
Research on the Next_Gen in family businesses focuses on the development and integration of young family members into the management of the business and the family legacy. Questions of individual development, the transfer of entrepreneurial skills and coping with role expectations are analysed. A systemic approach takes into account the interactions between family, business and societal contexts in order to identify successful strategies for promoting the next generations.
If you have any questions regarding this research area, please contact us: familybusiness@mci.edu