Ownership Competence in Business Families

In the study „Shareholder Competence in Family Businesses – Current Trends and Developments“ (2023), Tom A. Rüsen, Ruth Orenstrat, and Claudia Binz Astrachan analyse the growing importance of shareholder competence as a central prerequisite for the long-term survival of family businesses. Against the backdrop of structural changes, particularly the increase in non-operational family shareholders and the shift from owner-managed to owner-controlled family businesses, shareholder competence is conceptualised as a key cross-generational competence.

The study develops a differentiated competence model that encompasses four dimensions: entrepreneurial competence, owner competence, family competence, and individual competence. These are systematically described and classified in terms of their relevance to different roles within entrepreneurial families. Based on an empirical investigation of 218 entrepreneurial families from German-speaking countries, ideal concepts and lived practice of shareholder competence development (SCD) are contrasted. The results show that although the fundamental importance of SCD is widely acknowledged, its implementation is often sporadic, time-limited, and heavily dependent on the family's strategic maturity.

A central finding of the study is the close link between existing family strategy, functioning family governance, and systematic competence development. Entrepreneurial families with a formalised family strategy invest significantly more often in structured GKE (Generational Knowledge Exchange) measures. The authors derive concrete recommendations from this, such as prioritising GKE, assigning clear responsibilities within family governance, and consciously designing learning and development processes. The study thus provides both a theoretically founded classification and practical impulses for the professionalisation of entrepreneurial families.