Personnel Connection Among Enterprises Through Advisory Council System of Bank Before World War II

In Germany, the bank advisory council system is important for collecting, exchanging, and sharing information, as well as fostering cooperation among enterprises. While central advisory councils were formed for bank headquarters following World War II, regional advisory councils were established in the major districts before the war. Such an organization was an important means of connecting personnel between banks, industrial enterprises, and corporations. The advisory council system played significant roles in supplementing personnel connections through interlocking directorates in top management. This chapter describes the conditions of personnel connections established by regional advisory councils between banks and industrial enterprises and between enterprises in various industrial sectors before World War II. The field and scope of information that advisory council members can obtain from such an organization are determined by their holding condition of mandate on top management, such as the supervisory and managing boards of enterprises. Therefore, this chapter examines the holding conditions under which advisory council members hold top management positions and the composition of each regional advisory council. Personnel connections established through Deutsche Bank’s regional advisory council systems (Deutsche Bank and Disconto-Bank) are examined as an important case study.