Faculty of Management, Economics and Society

    Chair for Organisation and Development of Business Families (WIFU Endowed Chair)

    Team of the Chair for organisation and Development of Business Families
    Team of the Chair for organisation and Development of Business Families

    Univ.-Prof. Dr. Heiko Kleve, Janette Wolff, Dr. Tobias Köllner

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    Research and teaching activities of the chair endowed by the Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU) focus on social science issues, in particular on sociological, social psychological and social pedagogical issues in business families and their connection with economic sciences.

    Expanding research and teaching on family businesses by considering the family side of family enterprises from the social science perspective is the hallmark of the chair. Business families are therefore our key interest of research, theory development and teaching. Sociological systems theory is the most suitable approach to placing emphasis on the challenges business families have to face. These challenges arise from the interrelation of three systems: the company system, the family system and the system of legal ownership of the company by the family members. We therefore pursue research activities being oriented towards systems theory and systemic constructivism and based on qualitative research methods.

    The chair excels in its course contents, its focus on business families and its affiliation to the Witten Institute for Family Business.

    Objectives
    Research questions

    Our teaching focuses on the specific characteristics of business families from the social science perspective, in particular from sociological, social psychological and social pedagogical perspectives. Candidate topics of seminars and lectures are:

    • Sociology and social psychology of family businesses and company succession
    • Systems theory of the business family
    • Family strategy and family governance
    • Conflicts and conflict management in business families
    • Partner competence and partner qualification
    • Systemic strategy development in business families
    • Systems theory, systemic coaching, mediation and counselling for business families
    • Group dynamics, communication and management

    Current research topics:

    • Development of a business family sociology
    • System compliance in business families as conflict prevention
    • The business family as functional subsystem of the company
    • The tetralemma of the business family

    For detailed information on research topics, projects and publications of the chair, please visit the WIFU-Homepage.

    Chair
    Heiko Kleve
    Chair

    Univ.-Prof. Dr.
    Heiko Kleve

    Fakultät für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft (Department für Management und Unternehmertum)
    WIFU-Stiftungslehrstuhl für Organisation und Entwicklung von Unternehmerfamilien
    Lehrstuhlinhaber

    PD Dr. Tobias Köllner

    PD Dr.
    Tobias Köllner

    Fakultät für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft (Department für Management und Unternehmertum)
    WIFU-Stiftungslehrstuhl für Organisation und Entwicklung von Unternehmerfamilien
    Projektleitung

    Die Universität Witten/Herdecke ist durch das NRW-Wissenschaftsministerium staatlich anerkannt und wird – sowohl als Institution wie auch für ihre einzelnen Studiengänge – regelmäßig akkreditiert durch: