On private equity exits of family firms in the German Mittelstand

There is limited existing research on factors influencing the preferences of family firms’ owner-managers for specific modes of external transitions of ownership such as private equity. In a multi-method approach, this study qualitatively gathers the attitudinal beliefs of family firms’ owner-managers about pursuing the private equity succession route. Four classes of beliefs are identified: perceptions of (1) firm continuance; (2) opportunities for firm development; (3) loss of firm ethos; and (4) commercial firm risks. These classes are then tested quantitatively with a sample of 195 family firm owner-managers among the German Mittelstand. Our results partially confirm the qualitative findings: the perception of positive development opportunities and the perception of commercial firm risks explain owner-managers’ intention to pursue a private equity succession, mediated through attitude. Overall, attitude emerges as the cornerstone in this context-specific intention model. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.