Dear colleagues in the AOM ENT Division,
I would like to warmly invite you to submit to the 23rd Nordic Conference on Small Business Research (NCSB 2026) in Bodø, Norway (18–20 May 2026) and, in particular, to Track 11: "Succession Beyond Kinship: Rethinking Leadership Transitions in Family Firms." Abstracts are due 20 January 2026.
I am co-chairing this track (corresponding chair) together with Elham Kalhor, Jannek K. Sommer, and Inessa Laur.
In this track, I focus on leadership transitions that move beyond hereditary succession-including external successors, non-kin leaders, and hybrid constellations-and on the resulting tensions around legitimacy, identity, and symbolic continuity in legacy-based organisations. I am especially interested in work that examines how symbolic assets (e.g., family heritage, royal endorsements, honorary titles) are constructed and leveraged to sustain continuity when kinship is no longer the primary organising logic.
I welcome empirical and conceptual submissions, including qualitative, historical, and interpretive approaches, and I explicitly encourage comparative perspectives from other legacy-rich contexts (e.g., royal institutions, religious organisations, political dynasties).
Abstract guidelines: approximately 900 words, covering objectives, theoretical foundation, approach/methods, preliminary results/findings, and expected contributions. Please do not include names or affiliations in the abstract.
Submission link: https://nettskjema.no/a/ncsb2026
NCSB is widely known for its strong community spirit and constructive dialogue-particularly well-suited for early-stage ideas and process-oriented work. A Doctoral Consortium will take place on 18 May 2026.
I would appreciate your sharing this call with colleagues and PhD students working on family business succession, entrepreneurship, governance, and institutional theory.
Warm regards,
Christian Neusser
University of Reading | Henley Business School
Co-Chair (Corresponding), NCSB 2026 Track 11
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Christian Neusser
Research Associate
University of Reading
Erlangen
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