Idea posted: September 2021

Institutions: Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg    RWTH Aachen University   

We expect start-ups and high technology companies in general to be innovators. We know, in contrast, that large incumbents are likely to want to continue to exploit their past innovations…

Idea posted: June 2018

Institutions: ESADE    EMLYON Business School    University of St. Gallen   

Launched in 2005, the STEP (Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices) Project is a global research initiative involving 35 universities in various regions of the world, including 10 in Europe, that studies…

Idea posted: May 2017

Institutions: University of Oregon Charles Lundquist College of Business    Saint Louis University John Cook School of Business    University of Mississippi School of Business Administration    Kellogg School of Management   

Stewardship describes the deeply felt commitment of managers and employees to the success of the company above their own individual interests. A stewardship climate is one in which stewardship is…

Idea posted: May 2015

Institutions: Indian School of Business   

Both agency theory and stewardship theory help explain organizational dynamics, although starting from very different assumptions. Agency theory describes the relationship between the shareholders (called ‘principals’) and the company’s managers…

Idea posted: June 2014

Institutions: Boston Consulting Group    HEC Paris   

Family-controlled companies are associated with tradition and continuity, but that doesn’t mean they’re ‘behind the curve’. A recent study suggests that when it comes to sustainable performance, they can beat…

Idea posted: October 2013

Institutions: Indian School of Business   

Family businesses are large contributors to the Indian economy, forming an integral part of Indian culture and society. They account for approximately 85% of business in the country, but have…

Idea posted: July 2013

Institutions: IESE Business School   

There is a hotel in Japan — Houshi Ryokan — that has been run by the same family for approximately 1,300 years. Forty generations have managed to maintain control of…

Idea posted: March 2013

Institutions: Banca March    IE Business School   

A report published in 2012, Value Creation in Listed European Family Firms, showed that listed European family businesses have created more value over the last decade than non-family concerns, achieving…