Technology implementation in family businesses

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the metaverse, virtual twins and chat bots have the potential to optimise existing business processes and fundamentally change business models. As digital technologies are intangible, abstract functionalities, they are generally complex to understand and management decisions often have to be made under uncertainty. In addition to strategic and structural issues relating to the successful digital transformation of family businesses, current research is increasingly highlighting the importance of individual cognitive processes in analysing, evaluating and deciding on the use of digital technologies. In family businesses in particular, there are challenges in addressing the different levels of knowledge of the decision-makers and responding to the emotional needs of the stakeholders involved.

What are the driving factors behind digitalisation in German medium-sized family businesses? How do family businesses deal with the increasing complexity of digital technologies? How do family businesses become digitalisation experts?

The aim of the study is to show how the perception, communication and explanation of new digital technologies take place in different decision-making structures in family businesses. It examines how digital technologies are perceived and how the political behaviour of individual actors influences this perception of technology.

In more than 150 interviews, we will examine how different levels of knowledge of the actors involved in analysing, evaluating and deciding on digital technologies are addressed. It also examines which emotions arise during technology decisions and how these emotional needs must be addressed during technology decisions.