A professional Family Business Governance strengthens the long-term operational capability of the Business family. The family strategy describes the common framework of values, goals, and expectations within the owner group; family governance translates these into clear roles, rules, and reliable communication and decision-making processes.
This way, typical areas of tension can be identified at an early stage and systematically addressed – right through to the development of a viable Family Constitution as a framework. Family strategy and family governance thus become crucial Success factors of family businessesThey reduce friction losses, increase decision-making speed, and strengthen reliability in the collaboration between family businesses, management, and relevant bodies.
Family businesses unite three areas, each following its own logic:
The entanglement of these systems creates areas of tension that are unavoidable but can be professionally managed.
As the circle of shareholders grows, spatial distances increase, or not all family members are actively involved, informal arrangements quickly reach their limits. This is where institutionalised family governance comes in: it creates structures that Communication and Role allocation in a family business make it planable. At the same time, they keep the entrepreneurial family capable of making decisions – even during transitions, conflicts, or a change of generations.
Institutionalised family governance thus forms the backbone of successful, intergenerational entrepreneurship. It strategically secures the transition from the founder figure to more complex family structures – such as with siblings or cousins.
The key instrument for many entrepreneurial families is the family constitution – often also called the family charter. It documents the shared framework of order: values, guidelines, and rules that structure the relationship between family, ownership, and business. However, its real impact emerges in the development process: expectations become explicit, potential conflicts become visible, and decision-making logic becomes understandable.
A Pattern or Example of a family constitution it can make getting started easier and provide orientation. However, a family constitution only becomes sustainable when its contents suit the individual family, are agreed upon jointly, and become established routines. Where binding regulations are necessary, the contents must also be transferred into legally tenable structures.
Family Governance becomes a lived practice when it is translated into functioning mechanisms:
Institutionalised communication and decision-making channels are a key component of family business governance. They ensure that role-specific tensions do not escalate unintentionally but can be addressed early on within clear, established structures. It is crucial that these forums not only inform but also stabilise responsibility and decision-making capabilities.
Depending on the size, complexity, and stage of development of the entrepreneurial family, different bodies can be considered:
Family strategy only unfolds its effectiveness when it doesn't remain at the level of guidelines. It becomes effective through binding governance routines: responsibilities must be defined, decision-making paths clarified, communication rhythms established, and escalation mechanisms agreed upon. This creates a (self-)management system that extends beyond individuals and remains sustainable even through generational changes.
The family strategy is a key management tool for the entrepreneurial family. It provides orientation in a context where people, roles, and interests change over time.
In the interplay of family, property, and business, family strategy strengthens long-term capacity for action. As the cornerstone of family business governance, it forms the basis for governanceStructures are not only formally in place, but are actively lived.
Key functions of a family strategy:
A successful family strategy describes a medium- to long-term vision for the future of the entrepreneurial family. It defines how the family will remain a resource for the company – through shared values and goals, a clear understanding of roles, and binding procedures for communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution. This makes it an orientation framework for generational succession, ownership, and the engagement of family members.
For a family strategy to be effective, three factors are central:
Das WIFU-Prozessmodell strukturiert die Entwicklung einer Familienstrategie als klaren, mehrstufigen Prozess: Es macht zentrale Themenfelder bearbeitbar und hilft, Orientierung in verbindliche Regeln und Routinen zu übersetzen.
The objective is to develop an effective family management system for the entrepreneurial family. It supports the avoidance or efficient resolution of internal conflicts, the establishment of clear decision-making processes, and the safeguarding of the family's long-term capacity to act. At the same time, it gradually guides successors in taking on responsibility and promotes the targeted development of the necessary competencies among shareholders. This creates a resilient foundation for intergenerational cohesion and responsible leadership of the family business.
Professionally designed family governance also promotes open dialogue on critical issues, strengthens a shared understanding of values, and creates a connection to the business. Furthermore, it helps to balance structural inequalities within the family and improve collaboration in the long term.
Family strategy and family governance only unfold their full potential when the mechanisms of interaction between family, ownership, and business are understood. The WIFU Foundation bundles scientific findings for this purpose and makes them usable for practical application.
The aim is to provide orientation knowledge that helps,
Numerous practical contributions and professional literature offer insights into strategies, governance models, and challenges of family businesses. Here you will find a selection of sources that combine scientifically sound knowledge with practical experience and provide concrete impulses for business practice.
A family strategy describes the medium to long-term vision of the entrepreneurial family. It clarifies values, goals, and guardrails in relation to ownership and the company, and makes expectations regarding roles, participation, and collaboration transparent. This ensures guidance is maintained even when the circle of shareholders grows or a generational change is imminent.
Family Governance organisiert die Inhaberwelt: Sie regelt, wie die Unternehmerfamilie entscheidet, kommuniziert und ihren Umgang mit dem Unternehmen gestaltet.
Corporate Governance fokussiert die Unternehmensführung. Sie regelt Führung und Kontrolle des Unternehmens, z. B. Zusammenspiel von Geschäftsführung, Beirat/Aufsicht und Compliance-Strukturen.
Family Business Governance verbindet beide Ebenen. Sie gestaltet die Schnittstellen zwischen Unternehmerfamilie/Eigentum und Unternehmensführung – mit klaren Rollen, Entscheidungswegen und Verantwortlichkeiten. Ein wesentlicher Baustein der Family Business Governance ist die professionelle Kommunikation in Familienunternehmen, die sicherstellt, dass Informationen rollengerecht fließen und die emotionale Logik der Familie die Sachlogik des Unternehmens nicht blockiert.
Eine Familienverfassung (Familiencharta) hält Leitlinien, Werte und Regeln der Unternehmerfamilie fest. Sie beschreibt Rollen sowie Kommunikations- und Entscheidungswege und enthält häufig Regelungen zu Konfliktbearbeitung, Nachfolge, Qualifizierung und Teilhabe. Muster oder Beispiele erleichtern den Einstieg, indem sie typische Themen und mögliche Formulierungen sichtbar machen. Tragfähig wird die Familienverfassung jedoch erst, wenn sie zur eigenen Familie passt, gemeinsam erarbeitet wird und in gelebte Routinen übergeht.
Eine Familienstrategie entsteht in einem strukturierten Verständigungsprozess, der Perspektiven aus Familie, Eigentum und Unternehmen zusammenführt. Wirksam wird sie, wenn die Ergebnisse in verbindliche Governance-Routinen übersetzt werden – etwa durch geklärte Zuständigkeiten, definierte Entscheidungswege, feste Kommunikationsformate und Verfahren zur Konfliktklärung. Entscheidend ist zudem die regelmäßige Überprüfung und Weiterentwicklung, damit die Strategie auch für neue Generationen anschlussfähig bleibt.
Das Wittener Modell dient als Prozess- und Orientierungsrahmen für die systematische Entwicklung einer Familienstrategie. Es unterstützt Unternehmerfamilien dabei, zentrale Themenfelder – etwa Rollen, Kommunikation, Gremien, Konfliktmechanismen und Eigentümerverantwortung – nicht nur zu benennen, sondern in konkrete Regeln und Routinen zu übersetzen. So wird die Familienstrategie „lebbar“ und bleibt auch bei Veränderungen im Gesellschafterkreis über die Zeit handlungswirksam.
Unternehmerfamilien, die ihre langfristige Handlungsfähigkeit durch Familienstrategie und Family Governance gezielt stärken möchten, finden bei der WIFU-Stiftung kompetente Ansprechpersonen für:
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