DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN FAMILY BUSINESSES
We stand at the dawn of a digital age, and its social changes will shape the economy for at least the next 30 years. In the context of family businesses, it is clear that new technologies will play a key role and give rise to many questions, such as: To what extent can and must family businesses introduce new technologies? To what extent will all of their contacts, abilities and resources be used? Are there weak points? Does the business lack any of the abilities needed to make use of new trends and technologies and strengthen competitiveness? This context involves important questions of strategy as well as personnel matters, such as recruitment and staff development, which are all encompassed by this theme.
HARNESSING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND TRENDS
Digitalisation means primarily that family businesses not only should anticipate the latest technologies and trends but also integrate them into their everyday business, such as by optimising their internal processes and procedures and upgrading their portfolios of products and services. But which technologies and trends are suitable for different kinds of family businesses? How can digital technologies and trends help make processes more efficient? How can products and services be digitalised? These are questions that family businesses must ask if they are to profit from digitalisation.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND TRENDS MEAN ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE
In general, integrating digital technologies and trends means organisational change for family businesses. But it also means new options for innovative business models and strategic directions. As a further consequence, internal structures, such as organisational procedures and formations, have to be reconsidered. The workforce and especially the management level have to accept and actively engage in digital change. All this demands the systematic management of internal company change in order to harmonise the opportunities and potential of digitalisation with the positive characteristics of family businesses, such as traditional values, and with the challenges family businesses face, such as generational conflicts and the strict demands of the business and its owners.
LITERATURE (SELECTION AVAILABLE IN GERMAN)
- Rüsen, T. A.; Heider, A. K. (2020): Die Chancen aufgreifen – Digitalisierungsdynamiken und ‑strategien in Familienunternehmen. In: Handbuch Digitaler Mittelstand. S. 27 – 32.
- Heider, A. K.; Rüsen, T. A. & Hülsbeck, M. (2020): Digitalisierungsdynamiken und -strategien in Familienunternehmen. In: Rüsen, T. A. & Heider, A. K. (Hrsg.): Aktive Eigentümerschaft in Unternehmerfamilien – Gesellschafterkompetenz in Unternehmerfamilien entwickeln und anwenden. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag, S. 127-139.
- Clauss, T., Abebe, M., Tangpong, C., & Hock, M. (2020): Strategic agility, business model innovation, and firm performance: an empirical investigation. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, DOI: 10.1109/TEM.2019.2910381.
- Clauss, T., Bouncken, R. B., Laudien, S. M., Kraus, S. (2020): Business Model Reconfiguration and Innovation in SMEs: A Mixed-Methods Analysis from the Electronics Industry, International Journal of Innovation Management, 20(2), 2050015.
- Clauss, T., Niemand, T., Kraus, S., Schnetzer, P., Brem, A. (2020): Increasing crowdfunding success through social media: The importance of reach and utilization in reward-based crowdfunding, International Journal of Innovation Management, 24(3), 2050026.
- Rüsen, T. A.; Heider, A.; Hülsbeck, M.; Bretschneider, U. (2019): Die digitalisierte Unternehmerfamilie – Spezifische Einflüsse und Herausforderungen für Digitalisierungsdynamiken in Familienunternehmen. In: FuS – Familienunternehmen und Strategie. Heft 03/2019. S. 90 – 95.
- Clauss, T., Harengel, P., Hock, M. (2019): The perception of value in platform-based business models in the sharing economy: Determining the drivers of user loyalty, Review of Managerial Science, 13(3), 605-634.
- Clauss, T., Breitenecker, R. J., Kraus, S., Brem, A., Richter, C. (2018): Directing the wisdom of the crowd: The importance of social interaction among founders and the crowd during crowdfunding campaign, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 27(7), 1-21.
- Artikel: Bretschneider, U.& Heider, A. K. (2018): Familien und die Crowd. In: Private Wealth, Heft 02/2018, S. 106-107.
- Artikel: Rüsen, T. & Heider, A. (2018): Die digitalisierte Unternehmerfamilie. In: Private Wealth, Heft 2/2018, S. 106-107.
- Clauß, T., Laudien, S. M. (2017): Digitale Geschäftsmodelle: Systematisierung und Gestaltungsoptionen, WiSt – Wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Studium, 46(10), 4-10.
