PD Dr. habil. Jan-Philipp Ahrens
Head of the Interdisciplinary Research Group Family Firms
Main fields of research
- Strategic and International Management
- Sustainability & Sustainable Management
- Leadership
- Family Business Research
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management
- Crisis Management
Curriculum vitae
| 2008 | Diplom-Kaufmann (M.Sc.in Business Administration), University of Mannheim |
| 2010–2013 | Dr. rer. pol. (PhD in Business Administration), University of Mannheim, visiting researcher at Humbolt University Berlin and Ludwig-Maximillians-University Munich |
| 2016–2024 | PD Dr. habil. rer. pol. (Habilitation), University of Mannheim |
| 2021 | Head of the Interdisciplinary Research Group Family Firms, University of Mannheim |
| 2024 | Visiting Scholar, Stanford University |
Prizes, awards, honors
- [31] 18th European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management Workshop on Family Firm Management Research (2023), Nomination for Best Article Award
- [30] 27th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand (2023), Nomination for Best Article Award
- [29] 27th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand (2023), Nomination for Best Article Award II
- [28] Nomination “Student council award for good teaching, summer term 2023”, Fachschaft Philo (student council of the philosophical faculty), University of Passau
- [27] Nomination “Award for merits in internationalization 2023”, University of Passau
- [26] “Award for outstanding engagement 2023”, University of Passau
- [25] European Academy of Management, 23th Annual Conference (2023), Nomination for the Most Innovative Article Award of the Family Business Research SIG
- [24] Global Family Business Summit (2023), STEP Project Global Consortium for Family Enterprising, Nomination for the Best Paper Award
- [23] 5th International Family Business Research Forum (2022), Best Contribution to Practice Award
- [22] European Academy of Management, 20th Annual Conference (2020), Best Article of the Family Business Research SIG, Nomination for the EURAM Overall Best Paper Award
- [21] 18th Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research – IECER (2020), Best Article Award
- [20] 24th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand (2020), Nomination for Best Article Award
- [19] Publons (Journal Review Platform) (2020), Excellent Reviewer 2020
- [18] 17th Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research – IECER (2019), Best Article Award
- [17] 23th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand (2019), Nomination for Best Article Award
- [16] 23th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand (2019), Nomination for Best Article Award (second article)
- [15] Academy of Management, 79th Annual Meeting (2019), Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings 2019
- [14] 4th International Family Business Research Forum (2019), Rosemont International Best Article Award
- [13] Junior Management Science (2019), Best Reviewer Award (Journal)
- [12] 9th Annual Conference of German Family Business Research Institutes (2019), Nomination for the Best Article
- [11] 22th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand (2018), Nomination for the Best Family Firm Article
- [10] European Academy of Management, 18th Annual Conference (2018), Best Article Award of the Strategic Management SIG
- [09] 21th Interdisciplinary Annual Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand (2017), Nomination for the Best Family Firm Article
- [08] 5tes Forum Mittelstandsforschung (2017), Best Article Award
- [07] 2nd International Family Business Research Forum (2016), Best Article Award
- [06] European Academy of Management, 16th Annual Conference (2016), Nomination for Best Article Award of the Family Business Research SIG, Honorable Mention of the Family Business Research SIG
- [05] Woven Publish Prize (2015), University of Mannheim, 2015 (award is given for publications in diversity research)
- [04] Academy of Management, 75th Annual Meeting (2015), Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings 2015
- [03] Family Firm Institute (FFI) – Global Conference (2014), FFI Best Unpublished Research Award 2014
- [02] Family Enterprise Research Conference, 10th Annual Conference (2014), Best Article Award
- [01] European Academy of Management, 13th Annual Conference (2013), Best Article Award of the Family Business Research SIG
Selected editorial activities
- Associate Editor, Journal of Family Business Strategy
Selected publications
- Ahrens, J.-P., Kowalzick, M., Lauterbach, J. G. and Petriglieri, J. L. (2025). Crisis reveals character: Founder and founding family involvement during firm crises. Family Business Review, 38, 4–33.
- Beck, F., Park, K. ., Merco do Nascimento e Silva, J., Meurer, T., Bubeck, S. K., Riefolo, M., Baumgardt, J., Suwala, L. and Ahrens, J.-P. (2025). Brazilian large family firms & non-family firms: bridging regional context and top management team gender diversity. Review of Regional Research = Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, 45, 185–220.
- Welch, N., Ahrens, J.-P. and Block, J. (2025). Regional labor market integration of women and the share of women in management: are family firms different? Review of Regional Research = Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, 1–31.
- Ahrens, J. (2024). Performance : performance theory and performance concepts between achievement, profit, and sustainability. In Elgar encyclopedia of family business (S. 330–334). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Ahrens, J.-P., Onneken, F., Rottler, M., Strohmeyer, R. and Torchia, M. (2024). Gender equality in firm leadership worldwide: Where are we now and how do family and non-family firms differ? In Women in family business : New perspectives, contexts and roles (S. 21–62). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Istipliler, B., Hauser, C., Calabrò, A. and Ahrens, J.-P. (2024). Sovereignty matters! Revisiting the family influence–stakeholder orientation relationship. Journal of small business and entrepreneurship : JSBE, 1–35.
- Suwala, L., Ahrens, J.-P. and Basco, R. (2024). Family firms, hidden champions and regional development. ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, 68, 1–8.
- Zybura, J., Ahrens, J.-P., Istipliler, B., Woywode, M. and Kowalzick, M. (2024). It takes two to Tango – Conceptualizing the “succession dance” in family firms through social exchange theory. Journal of General Management.
- Ahrens, J.-P. and Hauer, A. (2023). Die 500 größten Familienunternehmen in Deutschland. In Die volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung der Familienunternehmen (S. 37–70). München: Stiftung Familienunternehmen.
- Istipliler, B., Ahrens, J.-P., Bort, S. and Isaak, A. (2023). Is exposure to the family firm always good for the next CEO? How successor pre-succession firm experience affects post-succession performance in family firms. Journal of Business Research : JBR, 167, 1–15.
- Istipliler, B., Ahrens, J.-P., Hauer, A., Steininger, D. M. and Woywode, M. (2023). Heroes of the Green Room – How Able Successors Revitalize and Reinvent Family Firms. Journal of Small Business Management.
- Istipliler, B., Hauer, A., Keese, D., Woywode, M. and Ahrens, J.-P. (2023). Childhood exposure to family firm and transgenerational orientation: Moderated mediation of affective commitment. Journal of Small Business Management, 1–44.
- Kowalzick, M., Ahrens, J.-P., Lauterbach, J. G. and Tang, Y. (2023). Overconfident CEOs in dire straits: How incumbent and successor CEOs’ overconfidence affects firm turnaround performance. Journal of Management Studies : JMS, 1–48.