Institut für Mittelstandsforschung
Das Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (ifm) ist eine zentrale Forschungseinrichtung der Universität Mannheim und führt Forschungsvorhaben zu aktuellen und strukturellen mittelstandsbezogenen Themen durch. Seine besondere Stärke liegt in der interdisziplinären Ausrichtung und der Brückenfunktion zwischen Wissenschaft, Politikberatung und Praxis. Die Arbeit des ifm konzentriert sich auf die folgenden vier Forschungsthemen: (1) Entrepreneurship, (2) Digitalisierung und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit im Mittelstand, (3) Familienunternehmen sowie (4) Arbeitsmarkt und Selbstständigkeit.
Publikationen
- Ahrens, J.-P., Kowalzick, M., Lauterbach, J. G. und Petriglieri, J. L. (2025). Crisis reveals character: Founder and founding family involvement during firm crises. Family Business Review, 38, 4–33.
- Hölzl, J., Keusch, F. und Sajons, C. (2025). The (mis)use of Google Trends data in the social sciences – A systematic review, critique, and recommendations. Social Science Research, 126, 1–22.
- Istipliler, B., Ahsan, M., Mole, K., Adomako, S., Gyensare, M. A. und Tang, J. (2025). Entrepreneurial alertness in dynamic environments: Mediating pathways to entrepreneurial orientation and performance. British Journal of Management : BJM, 1–19.
- Schmück, K., Schückes, M., Gutmann, T. und Gassmann, O. (2025). Less trust, more truth: Implications and design choices for business models and platform ecosystems in the age of Web3. Technological forecasting & social change, 211, 1–27.
- Schückes, M., Unger, B., Gutmann, T. und Fels, G. (2025). Innovation at the interface: A configurational approach to corporate venture capital. Journal of Business Venturing, 40, 1–34.
- Welch, N., Ahrens, J.-P. und Block, J. (2025). Regional labor market integration of women and the share of women in management: are family firms different? Review of Regional Research = Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, 1–31.
- Adomako, S., Zhu, F., Hsu, D. K., Istipliler, B. und Wiklund, J. (2024). Navigating environmental threats to new ventures: A regulatory fit approach to bricolage. Journal of Management Studies : JMS, 1–45.
- Castellanza, L. und Woywode, M. (2024). Types, determinants, and outcomes of entrepreneurial behaviours during crises. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 1–30.
- Dahlke, J., Beck, M., Kinne, J., Lenz, D., Dehghan, R., Wörter, M. und Ebersberger, B. (2024). Epidemic effects in the diffusion of emerging digital technologies: evidence from artificial intelligence adoption. Research Policy, 53, 1–24.
- Istipliler, B., Hauser, C., Calabrò, A. und Ahrens, J.-P. (2024). Sovereignty matters! Revisiting the family influence–stakeholder orientation relationship. Journal of small business and entrepreneurship : JSBE, 1–35.
- Kinne, J., Dehghan, R., Schmidt, S., Lenz, D. und Hottenrott, H. (2024). Location factors and ecosystem embedding of sustainability-engaged blockchain companies in the US. A web-based analysis. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 4, 1–18.
- Mula, C., Zybura, N. und Hipp, T. (2024). From digitalized start-up to scale-up: Opening the black box of scaling in digitalized firms towards a scaling process framework. Technological forecasting & social change, 202, 1–16.
- Shankar, R. K., Schückes, M. und Gutmann, T. (2024). Heterogeneity in organizational search behaviors: The case of corporate venture capital units. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal : SEJ, 1–38.
- Suwala, L., Ahrens, J.-P. und Basco, R. (2024). Family firms, hidden champions and regional development. ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, 68, 1–8.
- Tonoyan, V., Strohmeyer, R. und Jennings, J. E. (2024). Working for Jessica or Michael? Implications of gender stereotypes for job application intentions at technology startups. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal : SEJ, 1–27.
- Zybura, J., Ahrens, J.-P., Istipliler, B., Woywode, M. und Kowalzick, M. (2024). It takes two to Tango – Conceptualizing the “succession dance” in family firms through social exchange theory. Journal of General Management.
- Gschnaidtner, C., Dehghan, R., Hottenrott, H. und Schwierzy, J. (2024). Adoption and diffusion of blockchain technology. ZEW Discussion Papers, 24–018. Mannheim.
- Kinne, J., Dehghan, R., Schmidt, S., Lenz, D. und Hottenrott, H. (2024). Location factors and ecosystem embedding of sustainability-engaged blockchain companies in the US. A web-based analysis. ZEW Discussion Papers, 24–023. Mannheim.
- Zielinski, F., Mildenberger, G., Rabadjieva, M., Sauerbier, E., Terstriep, J. und Wruk, D. (2024). Was sind soziale Innovationen und wie lassen sich ihre Impacts messen? Konzeptionelle Grundlagen für innovationsfeldspezifische Wirkmodelle. Heidelberg: Universität Heidelberg.
- Ahrens, J. (2024). Organisational sustainability, governance, and time-insights from AI and Big Data. Crossroads for Organizations: Time, Space, and People, Milano, Italy.
- Boukhabza, S., Istipliler, B., Müller, B. und Ouhadi, S. (2024). How Moroccan female entrepreneurs adapt to lead their family firms: Identity work in the face of role complexity. 44th Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference, BCERC, München, Germany.
- Boukhabza, S., Istipliler, B., Müller, B. und Ouhadi, S. (2024). Moroccan female successors as dominated dominants and their identity work activities in the face of role complexity. 40th EGOS Colloquium: Crossroads for Organizations: Time, Space, and People, Milano, Italy.
- Istipliler, B. (2024). Entrepreneurship as an ill-defined design domain and impact of prior experiences on entrepreneurial performance. 40th EGOS Colloquium: Crossroads for Organizations: Time, Space, and People, Milano, Italy.
- Istipliler, B. (2024). Know-what or know-how to venture? Ill-definedness of entrepreneurship and role of experiences. 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, AOM 2024, Chicago, IL.
- Park, K. . und Istipliler, B. (2024). Better shot?: Impact of gender quota on female entrepreneurship, evidence from Germany. 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, AOM 2024, Chicago, IL.
- Reif, T., Hossnofsky, V., Junge, S., Riefolo, M. und Ahrens, J.-P. (2024). Navigating succession: Unveiling predecessor preferences for successor attributes in family firms. 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, AOM 2024, Chicago, IL.
- Tänzler, J. K. und Hauer, A. (2025). Soziale Nachhaltigkeit in Familienunternehmen der Bekleidungsindustrie – Eine kritische Diskussion am Beispiel des Unternehmens Trigema. In SDG 8: Menschenwürdige Arbeit und Wirtschaftswachstum (S. ). : Springer Nature.
- Ahrens, J. (2024). Performance : performance theory and performance concepts between achievement, profit, and sustainability. In Elgar encyclopedia of family business (S. 330–334). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Ahrens, J.-P., Onneken, F., Rottler, M., Strohmeyer, R. und Torchia, M. (2024). Gender equality in firm leadership worldwide: Where are we now and how do family and non-family firms differ? In Women in family business : New perspectives, contexts and roles (S. 21–62). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Tänzler, J. K. und Hauer, A. (2024). The past catches up with everyone: legal failures of the previous generation threaten a family firm’s future. In Case Studies in Family Business Overcoming Destructive Conflict, Deviance, and Dysfunction in the Family Firm (S. 138–146). Cheltenham [u. a.]: Edward Elgar Publishing.
