Practical Articles | WIFU – Wittener Institut für Familienunternehmen

Why don’t you educate your owners

This article highlights where business families fall short in their ownership training and outlines a simple process to identify the educational needs in your own family shareholder group.

Developing Your Business Family Strategy: Where to Start and What to Consider

Successful, long-lasting business families share an understanding of what is important to them, what they want to do together and how they want to work together to achieve their collective...

What All Family Businesses Can Learn From the Merck Family

The German Merck family has succeeded where many business families have failed: keeping a group of 319 family members, including 204 family shareholders, unified, aligned and committed over the course...

Let’s not go there – Taboos in Family Business

Family businesses and the families that own them are known for their secrecy and discretion. Keeping a low profile can provide useful benefits — for example, protection from business competitors...

Four Things that the Best Family Business Boards Do Well

Can you quantify your board’s contribution to the performance of your family business? Even if you can’t put a number on it, you should have a keen sense of how...

10 Golden Principles to Guide Your Succession Planning

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to family business succession. Every situation is different, and every family is uniquely complex. However, some principles appear to transcend culture and other succession variables...