Until today, the business family is a highly neglected topic in family sociology. Precisely because more than two-thirds of all companies are family-run, it is surprising that sociology has not yet discovered the business family as a field of research. With this book, it is made the content of systematic family sociological reflections.

A central point of departure for theorizing and research on business families is that this form of family has to deal with special social challenges because it structurally combines, mixes, and couples two social spheres that are generally pulled apart in the so-called modernization process of society.

The target groups

Students and lecturers of sociology, pedagogy and social and economic sciences

The editors

Heiko Kleve is Academic Director and holder of the Endowed Chair for Organization and Development of Business Families at the Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU) at Witten/Herdecke University. His work focuses on the business family from a psychosocial perspective.

Tobias Koellner is a Senior Research Fellow at the Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU) at the Witten/Herdecke University. Currently, he is principal investigator of a research project that analyzes structures and dynamics in the business family in a cross-cultural perspective.