Family Business

Strengthening family businesses

At least 61% of businesses in the Netherlands are family businesses. This makes them incredibly important for a healthy economy. Thanks to their unique dynamics, family businesses are different from other companies. In addition to business interests, family interests also play a role. The practice-oriented research of our research group focuses on these dynamics, looking at both the internal and external aspects of family dynamics and their effect on entrepreneurship.

Internal Dynamics

Part of our research focuses on the internal side of family businesses. By this, we mean the ways in which family dynamics, family patterns, and relationships influence entrepreneurship. For example, all family businesses sooner or later face the task of arranging business succession. What does that involve? Various challenges at the intersection of family and business identity are also recurring themes for many family businesses.

View the research projects (in Dutch)(opens in new tab)

External Dynamics

Another part of our research focuses on the external side of family businesses — how they can better present themselves to the outside world, for example, to attract new employees. We also help them navigate their way to knowledge institutions, funding opportunities, and business networks, and we raise their awareness of the significant impact they have on their region. Additionally, through our research, we contribute to improving their collaboration processes with others.

View the research projects (in Dutch)(opens in new tab)

Research and Education

Our research group is closely connected to education. Many students are introduced to the topic of family businesses through their studies. There are also regular opportunities for students who wish to complete their graduation projects with us. Every year, we organize a competition for the best theses in the field of family businesses.

This creates a dynamic exchange, where practice-oriented research enriches education, while students contribute to the research.

We Love to Share Knowledge: Read All Our Publications

Our professor and the researchers of the Family Business research group regularly publish their findings. These publications are made available through open access. This ensures free access to all results and practical tools from our practice-oriented research, so that you too can use or reuse this information. Read them on our Dutch website.(opens in new tab)