AbstractChanges in the intra‐group linkages affect the ownership of members of the group by their parents and can have different effects on the various objectives of the group. This paper shows how one can use the standard formula for calculating ownership in a group of companies to derive a linear approximation to the marginal changes in the group structure as the result of changes in intra‐group linkages. These marginal effects can be used in linear multi‐objective and/or decentralized planning systems in the group. An example is provided on some tax‐planning effects of marginal changes of intra‐group