Spotlight highlights research-based findings only, authored by members of the Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO) at Jönköping International Business School. If you’re interested in knowing more about the studies presented in this platform or delving into the theoretical and methodological details, we encourage you to contact the authors or read the full article for a comprehensive understanding.

Naldi, L., Chirico, F., Kellermanns, F. W., & Campopiano, G. (2015). All in the family? An exploratory study of family member advisors and firm performance. Family Business Review, 28(3), 227–242.

Naldi, L., Nordqvist, M., Chirico, F., Gómez-Mejia, L., Ashforth, B. E., Swartz, R., & Melin, L. (2024). From FIBER to FIRE: Construct validation and refinement of the socioemotional wealth scale in family firms. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development.

Naldi, L., Piva, E., & Baù, M. (2026). Baby boom or baby bust? Parental leave of TMT members and innovation in SMEs. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261440307

Nordqvist, M. (2016). Socio-symbolic ownership: Extending the socio-emotional wealth perspective. Management Research: The Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, 14(3), 244–257.

Nordqvist, M., & Gartner, W. B. (2020). Literature, fiction, and the family business. Family Business Review, 33(2), 122–129.

Orozco Collazos, L. E., & Botero, I. C. (2024). Women ownership as a form of leadership: The role of context in understanding its effects on financial performance. Business Research Quarterly, 27(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/23409444231222503

Ots, M., Cestino Castilla, J., & Meurer, M. M. (2025). Frames of entrepreneurship: 30 years of field evolution in the entrepreneurship industry. Small Business Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-025-01131-1

Patel, P. C., Criaco, G., & Naldi, L. (2018). Geographic diversification and the survival of born-globals. Journal of Management, 44(5), 2008–2036.

Pieper, T. M., Binz Astrachan, C., Chirico, F., & Ehlers, A. (2025). Strategy implementation in family firms: Why it matters and how it differs. Organizational Dynamics.

Pinelli, M., Chirico, F., De Massis, A., & Zattoni, A. (2023). Acquisition relatedness in family firms: Do the environment and the institutional context matter? Journal of Management Studies, 61(4).

Pittino, D., Barroso Martínez, A., Chirico, F., & Sanguino Galván, R. (2018). Psychological ownership, knowledge sharing and entrepreneurial orientation in family firms: The moderating role of governance heterogeneity. Journal of Business Research, 84, 312–326.

Pittino, D., Chirico, F., Baù, M., Villasana, M., Naranjo-Priego, E. E., & Barron, E. (2020). Starting a family business as a career option: The role of the family household in Mexico. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 11, 100338.

Pittino, D., Chirico, F., Henssen, B., & Broekaert, W. (2020). Does increased generational involvement foster business growth? The moderating roles of family involvement in ownership and management. European Management Review, 17(3), 785–801.

Pittino, D., Henssen, B., & Visintin, F. (2025). Antecedents of collective psychological ownership in family firms: A multilevel configurational approach. Journal of Business Research, 198, 115494.

Pittino, D., Visintin, F., & Harirchi, G. (2026). Founders' hybrid social identities and radical innovation in new technology-based ventures. European Management Review, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.70077

Pittino, D., Visintin, F., & Lauto, G. (2018). Fly away from the nest? A configurational analysis of family embeddedness and individual attributes in the entrepreneurial entry decision by next-generation members. Family Business Review, 31(3), 271–294.

Pittino, D., Visintin, F., Lenger, T., & Sternad, D. (2016). Are high performance work practices really necessary in family SMEs? An analysis of the impact on employee retention. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 7(2), 75–89.

Pittino, D., Visintin, F., Minichilli, A., & Compagno, C. (2021). Family involvement in governance and firm performance in industrial districts: The moderating role of the industry’s technological paradigm. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 33(7–8), 514–531.

Pongelli, C., Majocchi, A., Bauweraerts, J., Sciascia, S., Caroli, M., & Verbeke, A. (2023). The impact of board of directors’ characteristics on the internationalization of family SMEs. Journal of World Business, 58(2023), 101412.

Quigley, T. J., Chirico, F., & Baù, M. (2022). Does the CEO effect on performance differ in private versus public firms? Strategic Organization, 20(3), 652–673.

Ramírez-Pasillas, M., Lundberg, H., & Nordqvist, M. (2021). Next generation external venturing practices in family owned businesses. Journal of Management Studies, 58(1), 64–90

Salvato, C., Chirico, F., Melin, L., & Seidl, D. (2019). Coupling family business research with organization studies: Interpretations, issues, and insights. Organization Studies, 40(6), 775–791.

Sanchez-Famoso, V., Akhter, N., Iturralde, T., Chirico, F., & Maseda, A. (2015). Is non-family social capital also (or especially) important for family firm performance? Human Relations, 68(11), 1713–1743.

Sanchez-Famoso, V., Pittino, D., Chirico, F., Maseda, A., & Iturralde, T. (2019). Social capital and innovation in family firms: The moderating roles of family control and generational involvement. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 35(2), 101043.

Sandgren, M., Uman, T., & Nordqvist, M. (2023). Accountants in family firms—a systematic literature review. Small Business Economics, 61(1), 349–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-022-00693-8

Sandgren, M., Uman, T., & Nordqvist, M. (2024). The role of the strategic apex in shaping the disclosure strategy: A family firm in crisis. The British Accounting Review, 56(1), Article 101302.

Sandino Vargas, E., Ramirez-Pasillas, M., & Achtenhagen, L. (2025). The perceived utility of owning an agricultural family business: Disentangling the role of emotional attachment in divestment and reinvestment decisions. Entrepreneurship Research Journal.

Sciascia, S., Nordqvist, M., Mazzola, P., & De Massis, A. (2015). Family ownership and R&D intensity in small- and medium-sized firms. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(3), 349–360.

Segaro, E. L., & Haag, K. (2022). Good intentions gone awry: Government intervention and multistakeholder engagement in a frontier market. Journal of Business Ethics, 180, 1019-1040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05197-9

Sieger, P., Akhter, N., & Chirico, F. (2023). Rural and Urban Family Business Portfolio Growth: The Role of Entrepreneurial Legacy. Family Business Review, 36(4), 375–401.
