Michael Woywode

Professor Dr. Michael Woywode is a full professor and holds the Chair of SME Research and Entrepreneurship at the University of Mannheim, within the Business School. His research and teaching are embedded in the Institute for SME Research and Entrepreneurship (ifm Mannheim), a central research institute of the university, and the Mannheim Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MCEI), which offers entrepreneurship courses university-wide.

Research Interests:

• Family Firms: Succession planning, leadership transitions, and post-succession innovation.
• Entrepreneurship: Founder behavior, startup ecosystems, and entrepreneurial decision-making.
• Digitalization in SMEs: Competitiveness, digital transformation, and innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Self-Employment & Labor Markets: New forms of self-employment and their societal implications.

Teaching: Prof. Woywode teaches across Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral levels, offering courses such as Strategic and International Management, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, and Managing the Family Business.

Research Output: His recent publications span high-impact journals including Organization Science, Family Business Review, and Journal of Small Business Management, with a clear focus on entrepreneurship, family business, and institutional theory.

Team & Collaboration: He leads a multidisciplinary team including postdocs, PhD candidates, and research associates, working closely with the MCEI and ifm Mannheim to foster entrepreneurship research and education.