Dr Maike Gerken has been working as a senior researcher at the WIFU Foundation’s Department of Family Business Management since October 2016. Inspired by the latest findings in organisational theory, her research projects deal with the overriding issue of how (family) companies employ their abilities to gain a better understanding of the strategic management of learning and change processes required for the future. She also studies the unique characteristics and structures of family businesses and how their success can be explained. Dr Gerken gained a PhD in the field of organisational learning at the School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, Netherlands in 2016, and she completed her studies in business psychology at Maastricht University.

Main areas of research

• Organisational learning and change
• Organisation theory
• Dynamic capabilities
• Leadership and succession in family firms
• Innovative behaviour in organisations

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