Field of Expertise
«Entrepreneurship, Ownership and Family Business»

Thomas Zellweger on the university's research platform «Alexandria»

Focus

We focus to research key questions in the management of family firms. We are especially interested in the following core topics: Ownership (Strategic Ownership), Entrepreneurship, Governance and Strategy in family firms.

Key Publications

• Family Business
  • Andric, M., Hsueh, J., Zellweger, Th, Hatak, I. (2024): Parental divorce in early life and entrepreneurial performance in adulthood. Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 39, Issue 3, p. 106390).
  • Neckebrouck, J., Schulze, W.S., Zellweger, Th. (2018): Are family firms good employers? Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 553–585.
  • Banalieva, E., Eddleston, K., Zellweger, Th. (2014): When do family firms have an advantage in transitioning economies? Toward a dynamic institution-based view. Strategic Management Journal, 36 (9), 1358–1377.
  • Zellweger, Th. (2017): Managing the Family Business: Theory and Practice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
  • Bird, M., Zellweger, Th. (2018): Relational embeddedness and firm growth: Comparing spousal and sibling entrepreneurs. Organization Science, 29(2): 264–283.
  • Duran, P., Kammerlander, N., van Essen, M., Zellweger, Th. (2016): Doing more with less: Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms. Academy of Management Journal, 59(4), 1224–1264.
  • Gomez-Mejia, L. R., Patel, P. C., Zellweger, Th. (2018): In the Horns of the Dilemma: Socioemotional Wealth, Financial Wealth, and Acquisitions in Family Firms. Journal of Management, 44(4): 1369–1397.
  • Halter, F., Schroeder, R. (2017): Das St.Galler Nachfolgemodell. Bern: Paul Haupt.
  • Zellweger, Th., Kellermanns, F. W., Chrisman, J. J., & Chua, J. H. (2012): Family control and family firm valuation by family CEOs: The importance of intentions for transgenerational control. Organization Science, 23(3): 851–868.
• Ownership
  • Foss, NJ, Klein, PG, Lien, LB, Zellweger, T, Zenger, T (2021). Ownership competence. Strategic Management Journal; 1– 27. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3222
  • Schulze, W. S. & Zellweger, T. M. (2021): Property Rights, Owner-Management, and Value Creation. Academy of Management Review, ISSN 0363-7425
  • Sieger, P., Zellweger, T., & Aquino, K. (2013). Turning agents into psychological principals: aligning interests of non‐owners through psychological ownership. Journal of Management Studies, 50(3), 361-388.
  • Zellweger, T. M., & Astrachan, J. H. (2008). On the emotional value of owning a firm. Family business review, 21(4), 347-363.
• Entrepreneurial Action under Uncertainty
  • Zellweger, T. M., & Zenger, T. R. (2023). Entrepreneurs as scientists: A pragmatist approach to producing value out of uncertainty. Academy of Management Review, 48(3), 379-408
  • Zellweger, T., & Zenger, T. (2022). Entrepreneurs as Scientists: A Pragmatist Alternative to the Creation-Discovery Debate. Academy of Management Review, 47(4), 696-699.
  • Zellweger, Thomas & Zenger, Todd (2022) Entrepreneurs as Scientists, Bayesian Inference, and Belief Revision. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, ISSN 2352-6734

Tools & Insights

We regularly publish our work in the leading management journals and present it at international conferences (e.g., AOM, TOFE, FERC, and IFERA). We organize company workshops and outreach activities for entrepreneurs, business owning families and service providers. We develop practitioner tools such as the Global Family Business Index and the Family Business Navigator. We also serve on editorial boards of leading academic journals and actively contribute to the academic community via peer reviewing.

Tools
		The Global Family Business Index comprises the largest 500 family firms around the globe. It provides impressive evidence of the economic power and relevance of family firms in the world. www.familybusinessindex.com
		The Family Business Navigator reveals the typical opportunities and potential challenges of your family business. It can be used as a benchmark for your own analysis and points at measures that secure the long-term success of your business. www.familybusinessnavigator.com

Textbooks
		This innovative textbook “Managing the family business – Theory and Practice” covers the most important managerial challenges facing family businesses. It is research-based and includes theory and practice along with concepts, cases and reflection questions to illustrate the key topics.
		The St.Galler Nachfolge-Modell Frank Halter/ Ralf Schröder is a framework concept for planning, designing and implementing company succession.

Impact und Transfer