Journal of Family Business Strategy Special Topic Series (STS)
The Future of Family Business Research: Featuring the work of emerging scholars
Guest Editors: G. Campopiano, A. Cirillo, A. Dawson, K. Haag
The family business research field is permeated by and centered around the concept of new generations (Handler, 1994). How the upcoming, or newly entered, family members shape business decisions, drive outcomes, and affect family configuration is a never-ending, attractive theme that continuously polarizes scientific debate (Mazzola et al., 2008). With always a "new generation" waiting at the family window to join the business, characterized by its unique traits, attitudes, and beliefs, the topic remains fresh, current, and enriches our understanding. Recently, this research area has intersected with the peculiarities of societal generations, i.e., cohorts of individuals sharing a specific birth year range, experiences, and social and historical events that homogeneously shape their personalities, prompting the consideration that complexity arises from both family and societal perspectives (Cirillo et al., 2022; Magrelli et al., 2022). Investigations into these topics are of increasing interest, especially because new family and societal generations hold the responsibility for the future and the longevity of family businesses (Fox et al., 2024).
However, as scholars, as a community of learners and researchers, we must equally focus on the future of our research field. Whilst some topics, such as succession, continue to be the focus of family business research, others may emerge as new generations join our field, as well as a push towards more scholarship of integration, in addition to scholarship of discovery, and new approaches and methodologies (Dawson, 2014). Therefore, we should ask: in whose hands and minds will the future of research lie? Who are the scholars of the new generation? What kinds of ideas are they developing, and how will they innovate within academia? Answering these questions is not easy, and while much remains to be done, numerous initiatives aimed at the new generation of family business scholars have already been undertaken. From summer schools and intensive courses (e.g., IFERA Summer School) to research endeavors (e.g., Calabrò et al., 2018). Thus, to foster these initiatives, in October 2023, the Early Scholars Engagement Program (ESEP) was launched. ESEP served as a dedicated event for young scholars organized in Naples immediately after the 18th EIASM Workshop on Family Firm Management Research. Led by esteemed senior scholars (M. Baù, M. Brumana, G. Campopiano, A. Cirillo, A. Dawson, K. Haag, D. Mussolino, T. Pieper), it provided young scholars with the opportunity to develop their new research ideas.
The ESEP also recognized the significance of another well-known and vital aspect in family business literature: mentoring (Distelberg & Schwarz, 2015; Dhaenens et al., 2018). When new generations enter the business, guidance becomes essential (Zona et al., 2025). Therefore, ESEP followed this by assigning a mentor to each young scholar helping design and craft high-quality research through a mentorship process. With these premises in mind, and with the objective of understanding the direction of family business research, we officially announce the first call for papers on the “The future of family business research.” This Special Topic Series is aimed at early-career scholars (Ph.D. students or those who have completed their Ph.D. within 4 years from the submission date).
In the spirit of mentorship, to submit a paper, the authors’ team must primarily consist of early-career scholars (senior scholars in the team could be, for example, 1 out of 3 or 4, or 2 out of 5 or more authors) who should lead the research project, also acting as the corresponding author.
Submissions will open on August 25th, 2025 and close on August 31st, 2026. Although participation in ESEP is not mandatory, papers authored by junior scholars who attended the event will receive a fast-track. Each manuscript will enter the review process upon submission, and each accepted paper will be published as soon as it finishes the review process.
The call welcomes research using diverse methods, including quantitative and qualitative approaches and conceptual/theoretical contributions, encouraging valuable innovative methods (e.g., machine learning techniques, virtual reality ethnography, and data mining analysis) that aim to challenge the current knowledge and advance the field with a marked forward-oriented focus. Examples of possible topics, based on family business and enterprising families, include, but are not limited to the following:
• Digitization and AI
• Growth
• Capabilities
• Consumers’ behavior
• Career, education, training
• Emotions
• Investing with purpose
• Resilience
• Social impact
The underlying thread focuses on the prospective value of each research contribution to the future of the family business scholarly community.
Paper submission procedure
All submitted manuscripts will follow the standard JFBS double-blind peer review process. All articles for this Special Topic Series must be submitted online via the Editorial Manager electronic submission system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/jfbs). Submissions should follow the manuscript guidelines of JFBS available from this same link (see the ‘Guide for Authors’ link at the top of the page). Authors should clearly indicate in their cover letter that the manuscript is for the Special Topic Series “The Future of Family Business Research” and choose “VSI: The Future of Family Business Research, Special Topic Series” as article type upon submission.
For any questions regarding this Special Topic Series, please contact Giovanna Campopiano
(giovanna.campopiano@unibg.it) or Alessandro Cirillo (alessandro.cirillo2@unina.it).
References
Calabrò, A., Minichilli, A., Mussolino, D., & Van Gils, A. (2018). Navigating the waters of family business research: Options and learnings for young scholars. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 9(1), 27-32.
Cirillo, A., Maggi, B., Sciascia, S., Lazzarotti, V., & Visconti, F. (2022). Exploring family millennials’ involvement in family business internationalization: Who should be their leader?. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 13(3), 100455.
Dawson, A. (2014). A look into the future: What is the next generation of family business scholars focusing on? In L. Melin, P. Sharma, & M. Nordqvist (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Family Business, 629-641, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Dhaenens, A. J., Marler, L. E., Vardaman, J. M., & Chrisman, J. J. (2018). Mentoring in family businesses: Toward an understanding of commitment outcomes. Human Resource Management Review, 28(1), 46-55.
Distelberg, B. J., & Schwarz, T. V. (2015). Mentoring across family-owned businesses. Family Business Review, 28(3), 193-210.
Fox, M., Wade-Benzoni, K. A., & Covin, J. G. (2024). Legacy: The meaning of lasting impact for family, business, and beyond. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 15(3), 100633.
Handler, W. C. (1994). Succession in family business: A review of the research. Family Business Review, 7(2),
133-157.
Magrelli, V., Rovelli, P., Benedetti, C., Überbacher, R., & De Massis, A. (2022). Generations in family business:
A multifield review and future research agenda. Family Business Review, 35(1), 15-44.
Mazzola, P., Marchisio, G., & Astrachan, J. (2008). Strategic planning in family business: A powerful
developmental tool for the next generation. Family Business Review, 21(3), 239-258.
Zona, F., Quarato, F., & Cambrea, D. R. (2025). Agent-Agent Conflict: Outside Directors and Co-CEOs in
Family Firms. Family Business Review, 38(2), 121-148.