Team Family business

Family businesses play a significant role in shaping Germany’s economic and social landscape. They make important contributions to employment, regional development, and economic stability, and are often deeply connected to their local regions and communities. Against this background, the Team Family Business is dedicated to the academic study of this distinctive form of enterprise and the people who shape it for more than 30 years. The aim is to develop a deeper understanding of their structures, values, and decision-making processes and thereby contribute to sustainable societal development.

Research Focus

Succession
  • Family CEO Successors
  • Transgenerational orientation 
  • Family dynamics
Corporate management
  • Strategy development and leadership
  • CEO attributes and biases
  • Ownership structures
  • Leadership and governance
Success factors
  • Post-succession performance
  • Innovation & Development
  • Crisis management 
  • Corporate change 

News from the department

Benchmark family firms

With the support of KPMG and ifm-Förderkreis, ifm Mannheim analyzed the importance and economic strength of family businesses in eleven metropolitan regions in Germany.

Zwei Personen lassen sich von einer dritten Person beraten.
Salary index for family businesses

Gabriela Jäcker GmbH and ifm Mannheim survey managers in family businesses

TOP 500 family businesses in Germany

Since 2007, the 500 family businesses with the highest number of employees and turnover and their turnover and employee figures have been regularly determined for a period of 10 years, thus documenting their overall economic significance.


Contact person

PD Dr. habil. Jan-Philipp Ahrens

Prof. Dr. Jan-Philipp Ahrens

Head of the Interdisciplinary Research Group Family Firms
Transferbeauftragte
University of Mannheim
University of Mannheim / Business School
Schloss, EO 281 – Room EO 281
68161 Mannheim