Jan-Philipp Ahrens

Universität Mannheim ·  Business School

We draw on Social Exchange Theory (SET) and show that a “succession dance”—a phase of joint successor and predecessor activity inside the firm—occurs due to prior social exchanges between successor and predecessor. It can be guided by altruism, friendship, or partnership (i.e., a generalized exchange relationship) as well as a professional need for...

This editorial introduces the nexus between family firms, hidden champions, and regional development from an economic geography perspective. Family firms constitute the backbones of most local and regional economies, and some of them are even so-called hidden champions, which are global leaders in their market niches. At the same time, both entitie...

Entrepreneurship research increasingly acknowledges marriage as an important resource for long-term commitment to entrepreneurial ventures. At the same time, family scholars emphasize the deinstitutionalization of marriage in many countries, meaning that marriage as formalized and long-term companionship has lost importance. We contend that outdate...

Welcome to the Mannheim Castle Days - Interdisciplinary Research Conference on Entrepreneurship & Family Firms! We are thrilled to have you join us for this exciting event, taking place at the historic campus of Mannheim University’s baroque castle, which was built and designed to possess one window more than Versailles. From July 20th to 21th, we...

As a well‐studied executive bias, CEO overconfidence usually has negative connotations – although empirical evidence of its performance effects remains inconclusive. By theorizing on CEO overconfidence in a turnaround situation, we propose that CEO overconfidence can either help or hinder turnaround performance, depending on whether the overconfide...

This is the 2023 conference booklet for the European Academy of Management SIG Family Business Research. Read more for information on presentations, people, places, social events, and contact information (the document is constantly updated).

This is a general track dedicated to exploring entrepreneurial persons, entrepreneurial teams, entrepreneurial families and family firms from a behavioral perspective. While integrating perspectives from psychology and sociology has a long history in business studies (see e.g. Hambrick & Crossland, 2018), it is still gaining momentum in the fields...

This research is an overview of the status quo of gender equality in firm leadership in over 30 million large family and non-family firms in 103 countries on the basis of big data and algorithm-based identification. The documented perturbations of gender equality in leadership positions across the planet, and the implied ignorance of the principle...

Drawing on contingency and upper echelon theories, this study conceptualizes family firm CEO succession as a special window of opportunity for the new generation to reinvent and rejuvenate the firm and restore the environment-organization fit that had often deteriorated pre-succession. We argue that CEO-related human capital enables successors to i...

Zusammenfassung der wichtigsten Ergebnisse - Die 500 beschäftigungsstärksten Familienunternehmen stellten im Jahr 2020 insgesamt über 6 Mio. Arbeitsplätze zur Verfügung. Seit 2011 haben sie mehr als 1,5 Mio. neue Arbeitsmöglichkeiten geschaffen. Der Gesamtumsatz der 500 umsatzstärksten Familienunternehmen stieg in diesem Zeitraum von 1.016 Mrd. Eur...

The Symposium provides an international multidisciplinary platform to bridge discussions across different themes and levels of analysis. The aim is to get a better grasp of the relationship between family business, sustainability, and context. The symposium features presentations from leading academics, parallel round table discussions, and conclud...

Die Studie untersucht rund 250.000 Unternehmen in den 11 Metropolregionen Deutschlands. Bei Familienunternehmen ist eine Strategie zu erkennen, die besonders auf Langfristigkeit, Unabhängigkeit und Sicherheit abzielt.

CALL FOR PAPERS The call for paper 2022 is now open! Submission platform and registration will open soon. The submission deadline is 15 June 2022. Short description: TRACK: ENTREPRENEURS, ENTREPRENEURIAL FAMILIES, AND FAMILY FIRMS This is a general track dedicated to exploring entrepreneurial persons, entrepreneurial teams, entrepreneurial familie...

Die Studie untersucht rund 250.000 Unternehmen aus den 11 Metropolregionen Deutschlands. Bei den Familienunternehmen ist eine Strategie zu erkennen, die besonders auf Langfristigkeit, Unabhängigkeit und Sicherheit abzielt.

This track is dedicated to empirical methods (quantitative and qualitative) and theory advancement at the intersection of PERFORAMANCE, GOALS, and BEHAVIOR IN FAMILY FIRMS. This year there is a special focus on DIGITALIZATION (including COVID-19 related challenges) and SUSTAINABILITY. From a methodological point of view, we also welcome CRITICAL a...

The special sessions series opens up with a book launch session (10-12 CET) of freshly published edited collection in "Family Business and Regional Development" (Routledge) is the first of its kind to connect the fields of regional and family business studies. The electronic version is available as open access! https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/o...

If you are interested in contribution to this special session, please submit your abstract following the instruction on the RSA web site: https://www.regionalstudies.org/events/rinr2021/ by March 17th, 2021. This session is linked to a special issue in an impact-factor peer-reviewed journal, submitting authors will be informed about this possibili...

We rely on socioanalytic theory to explore the relationship of the crowd's inferred attributions to an initiator's personality and crowdfunding performance. On the basis of videometric measuring of the perceived personality of project initiators in 673 reward-based crowdfunding campaigns, we provide empirical support for this coherence: crowds allo...

Innovation in the context of succession in family firms remains largely unexplored in empirical research. We investigate the post-succession innovation output of family and non-family CEO successors in family businesses using a sample of 455 German family firm successions. From a resource- and knowledge-based perspective, we examine how successor o...

Developing and keeping a community motivated is critical for success, particularly in self-hosted crowdfunding. Existing research has identified social capital as an important driver of such endeavors. However, the process of how social capital can be developed, managed, and targeted towards a common goal in digital settings is mostly unknown. Appl...

Kernergebnisse Einfluss Management-/Gesellschafterstrukturen in Familienunternehmen –– Unternehmen, insbesondere Familienunternehmen, die ausschließlich von Frauen geführt werden, weisen eine höhere Rendite auf. –– Frauen in der Geschäftsführung von Familienunternehmen neigen zu einem vorsichtigeren Gebrauch der liquiden Mittel. –– 23 Prozent der b...

By harnessing a unique dataset on goal setting in 456 firms with different levels of family involvement, this study demonstrates a non-linear relationship between family involvement and stakeholder-oriented goal pursuit. According to our analyses, a pivotal antecedent of this link is the pursuit of goals associated with sovereignty (i.e. indivisibl...

Turnaround performance of corporations remains a specific discipline, an arcane field with many unanswered questions. In this research, we clear some of the smoke by elucidating how identity of those at the helm of the firm shapes turnaround strategy and performance. We contribute a dynamic model of identity, which relates identity to changing soci...

The family business literature describes the dynamic in which old executives phase out and successors phase in as a “succession dance”. Research on under what circumstances predecessors remain active following CEO succession is scarce. We analyze what drives continued predecessor CEO involvement post succession and the degree of their involvement b...

Stewardship is a key factor to explain family firm performance. Learning stewardship behavior in family firms is frequently achieved through the experiences the upper echelon gains through active involvement, i.e. time spent inside the family firm prior to the succession. However, research based on the behavioral theory of the firm and inspired by...

Preprint - subject to change - Bookchapter, forthcoming, in: The Entrepreneurship SIG at the European Academy of Management: New Horizons with Strong Traditions, vol.2.

Turnaround performance of corporations remains a specific discipline, an arcane field with many unanswered questions. In this research, we clear some of the smoke by elucidating how identity of those at the helm of the firm shapes turnaround strategy and performance. We contribute a dynamic model of identity, which relates identity to changing soci...

Stewardship is a key factor to explain family firm performance. Learning stewardship behavior in family firms is frequently achieved through the experiences the upper echelon gains through active involvement, i.e. time spent inside the family firm prior to the succession. However, research based on the behavioral theory of the firm and inspired by...

Turnaround performance of corporations remains a specific discipline, an arcane field with many unanswered questions. In this research, we clear some of the smoke by elucidating how identity of those at the helm of the firm shapes turnaround strategy and performance. We contribute a dynamic model of identity, which relates identity to changing soci...

Empirical studies examining firm performance following CEO succession in family firms predominantly document inferior performance of family successors. This evidence is at odds with general theoretical literature that attests a positive effect of family involvement inside the firm. To explore this enigma, we theoretically and empirically disentangl...

Empirical studies examining firm performance following CEO succession in family firms frequently and consentaneously document inferior performance of family successors. This evidence is at odds with general theoretical literature that attests a positive effect of family influence inside the firm. To explore this enigma, this research disentangles t...

Early research on succession in owner-led family firms described succession as a process of mutual role adjustment. This means the parallel lessening of the previous owner's involvement (POI) while a new generation family member gradually takes office as new CEO and owner. In this article, we analyze the performance impact of the frequent phenomeno...

Studie im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) Autoren, ifm Universität Mannheim: René Leicht Stefan Berwing Ralf Philipp Nora Block Niclas Rüffer Jan-Philipp Ahrens Co-Autoren, ism Mainz: Nadine Förster Ralf Sänger Julia Siebert

This study aims to explain the relationship between degree of family influence, and non-economic goal sets in family and non-family firms as well as the relationship among these goals sets. Using the behavioral theory and SEW literature, we hypothesize that firms scoring higher in a continuous FPEC scale give higher importance to the non-economic g...

Eine Vergleichende Analyse für die Metropolregion Rhein Neckar 2016

Employing a unique data set on CEO successions, we analyze the enterprise performance implications prolonged predecessor CEO activity subsequent to a CEO succession. Drawing on agency theory and upper echelon theory, we find that whether a positive or negative performance is observed is highly context specific. Using 2SLS-IV regressions, we find that...

This presentation explores the phenomenon of continued predecessor activity in the aftermath of a CEO succession in family firms. Special attention is given to the performance impact of predecessor activity and the human capital of the successor. We find that the likelihood of predecessor activity is increased by family succession, nepotism and tac...

Continued post-succession engagement of CEO predecessors is a common phenomenon in family firm successions. The literature describes successions as an evolutionary process where the old executive phases out and his successor phases in. However, research on the exact circumstances under which a predecessor remains active subsequent to a CEO successi...

The empirical literature considering effects of CEO succession on post-succession performance in family firms highlights inferior performance of family successors. By viewing successions as ruled signaling contests, we argue a family succession is not detrimental per se. Instead, we theorize concentrated ownership structures induce cases where cont...

We analyze corporate changes and performance during CEO successions in family firms. We find that the sum of managerial actions is positively related to enterprise performance. Our interpretation is that improvement potentials accumulated in pre-succession periods due to Stale-in-the-Saddle effects and the Icarus Paradox. In particular reviews of e...

Reviews of the literature reveal that empirical work on gender and CEO successions in family firms is still rare. Building on a unique data set of CEO successions, we investigate labor market constraints in CEO succession contests in family firms with concentrated ownership. We find that a preference for male family heirs limits labor market select...

Continued post-succession engagement of CEO predecessors is a common phenomenon in family firm successions. The literature describes successions as an evolutionary process where the old executive phases out and his successor phases in. However, research on the exact circumstances under which a predecessor remains active subsequent to a CEO successio...

The empirical literature considering effects of CEO succession on post-succession performance in family firms highlights inferior performance of family successors. By viewing successions as ruled signaling contests, we argue a family succession is not detrimental per se. Instead, we theorize concentrated ownership structures induce cases where cont...

We analyze corporate changes and performance during CEO successions in family firms. We find that the sum of managerial actions is positively related to enterprise performance. Our interpretation is that improvement potentials accumulated in pre-succession periods due to Stale-in-the-Saddle effects and the Icarus Paradox. In particular reviews of e...

We analyze corporate changes and performance during CEO successions in family firms. We find that the sum of managerial actions is positively related to enterprise performance. Our interpretation is that improvement potentials accumulated in pre-succession periods due to Stale-in-the-Saddle effects and the Icarus Paradox. In particular reviews of e...

This article explores the phenomenon of continued predecessor activity in the aftermath of a CEO succession in family firms. Special attention is given to the performance impact of predecessor activity and the human capital of the successor. We find that the likelihood of predecessor activity is increased by family succession, nepotism and tacit kn...

This article explores the phenomenon of continued predecessor activity in the aftermath of a CEO succession in family firms. Special attention is given to the performance impact of predecessor activity and the human capital of the successor. We find that the likelihood of predecessor activity is increased by family succession, nepotism and tacit kn...

Even though there exists a considerable amount of literature on CEO successions in family firms, there is relatively little research on organizational changes during successions and the role of predecessors therein. What is more, there is predominantly anecdotal evidence on how predecessor activity subsequent to succession either hinders or prom...

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877858515000182

Devising a unique data set we analyze corporate changes and enterprise performance during CEO successions in family firms. High human capital successors implement more changes when compared to low human capital successors. In addition, an enterprise external origin of the successor and a male gender are positively linked to the amount of changes. F...

Employing a unique data set on CEO successions, we analyze the circumstances under which departing CEOs stay active within their enterprise subsequent to a CEO succession and highlight enterprise performance implications. We find that the likelihood of predecessor activity is increased by family succession, nepotism and tacit knowledge, but reduced...

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877858515000182

Employing a unique data set on CEO successions, we analyze the circumstances under which departing CEOs stay active within their enterprise subsequent to a CEO succession and highlight enterprise performance implications. We find that the likelihood of predecessor activity is increased by family succession, nepotism and tacit knowledge, but reduced...

We consider the effects of CEO successions on performance in family firms. By evaluating a unique data set, we find that firms which exclusively install relatives or heirs as CEO successors perform worse as compared to firms allowing a larger pool of successors. We observe that family heirs perform worse than external successors on average, which m...

Chapter 1: Nepotism - CEO Succession, Ownership and Enterprise Performance By JAN-PHILIPP AHRENS, SANDRA GOTTSCHALK, AND MICHAEL WOYWODE We consider the effects of CEO successions on enterprise performance in medium-sized enterprises with strong ownership concentration (family firms). By evaluating an unique data set we show that firms which ins...