Die Kraft der Generationen

In the non-fiction book Die Kraft der Generationen (2026), published by Langen Müller Verlag, Prof Dr Heiko Kleve explores the special resource of successful family businesses: intergenerational responsibility. Combining scientific rigor with accessible language, the book opens up the topic of the entrepreneur family as the social and emotional core of family entrepreneurship to a broad audience.

Heiko Kleve demonstrates how family businesses pass on values, entrepreneurship and ownership responsibility over decades, thereby creating stability in an environment characterised by change. Here, ownership is understood not merely as an economic asset, but as an obligation, and wealth not as an expression of power, but as a source of humility and social impact. The work calls for a rethinking of the connection between past and future, between wisdom and courage – as the foundation for a resilient social order fit for future generations. Kleve's long-standing research at the Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU) forms the professional basis of this contribution to the public debate on the social relevance of entrepreneurial families.