Best Doctoral Dissertation Award

This award is given to encourage and recognize outstanding academic achievement in the field of family business study.

THE 2025 AWARD-WINNING DISSERTATION IS

Of Ghosts and Strangers in Family Firms: The Founder’s Shadow in the Organization’s Daily Life by Liliana Dinis for Nova School of Business and Economics.

About the Dissertation

“Of Ghosts and Strangers in Family Firms: The Founder’s Shadow in the Organization’s Daily Life” comprises three studies, each building on the previous in understanding, defining, and measuring the founder’s multigenerational influence on the family enterprise.

Liliana Dinis, PhD, is a post-doctoral researcher at Católica Lisbon. Her research explores founder imprints across generations, the relationship between founder influence and innovation, emotional dynamics in organizations, and the strategic use of historical narratives in family enterprises. Prior to academia, she held executive roles in a family business and worked as a financial advisor in investment banking.

The 2025 Best Doctoral Dissertation Award is generously sponsored by the Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont.

Best Unpublished Research Paper Award

The Best Unpublished Research Paper Award is awarded annually after a blind, peer review of all submissions. Papers may be on any topic of relevance to the understanding and appreciation of family firms and/or family firm advisors.

THE 2025 AWARD-WINNING RESEARCH PAPER IS

Toward a Model of Role Settling: An Ethnography of Family Business Succession by Marco Mismetti, Eliana Crosina, and Alfredo De Massis

About the Paper

“Toward a Model of Role Settling: An Ethnography of Family Business Succession” documents the authors’ eighteen-month ethnographic study of a family business upon formally transferring ownership and leadership from the first to the second generation. The paper defines “role settling” as the process of role changes that formal succession triggered throughout the enterprise.

Marco Mismetti, PhD, is an assistant professor in the House of Innovation at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). His work focuses on comprehending the unique dynamics and intra- and inter-generational processes within family firms to gain valuable insights into the intricate relationship between family dynamics and entrepreneurial attitudes.

Eliana Crosina, PhD, is an assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College. Crosina’s research interests concern the intersection of identity, entrepreneurial behavior, and cognition. Prior to academia, she worked in the private sector as an investment banker as well as in the not-for-profit sector, managing international development projects.

Alfredo De Massis, PhD, is professor of entrepreneurship and family business at the D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara and at IMD, as well as an advisor to family enterprises and family offices. He is an associate editor of Family Business Review and is the 2023 recipient of the Barbara Hollander Award.

The 2025 Best Unpublished Research Paper Award is generously sponsored by Relative Solutions.

Thanks to the 2025 Academic Award Committees

BEST DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Miguel Palacios
ESCP Business School

Pankaj Patel
Villanova University

Massimiliano Pellegrini
University of Rome “Tor Vergata”

Alain Praet
KU Leuven

Veland Ramadani
South-East European University

Ignacio Requejo
Universidad de Salamanca

Salvatore Tomaselli
University of Palermo

Anita Van Gils
Maastricht University

Marta Widz
Bocconi University

Best Unpublished Research Paper

Miruna Radu Lefebvre
Audencia Business School

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Previous Edition

In 1992, to further enhance its multidisciplinary and global approach to family enterprise advising, consulting, and research, FFI began to establish awards for professional achievement. Today there are four: Richard Beckhard Practice Award, Barbara Hollander Award, Interdisciplinary Award, and International Award.

These prestigious awards are the pinnacles of achievement in the field, and we are pleased to announce this year’s recipients. The awards will be formally presented as part of the FFI annual global conference in October.

© 2025 Family Firm Institute