Josip Kotlar

Josip Kotlar is Associate Professor of Family Business at the Lancaster University Management School (LUMS).

His research interests are at the intersection of strategy, entrepreneurship and innovation, and his work focuses primarily on family businesses. On these topics, he has published articles in leading journals including Academy of Management Journal, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Academy of Management Perspectives, Small Business Economics, Family Business Review, and Journal of Family Business Strategy. His research and teaching are informed by ongoing engagement with family business leaders, business service providers and policy makers.

He received several awards, most recently the Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings in 2017, the 2017 Outstanding Reviewer Award at Family Business Review, the 2016 Outstanding Reviewer Award at Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, and the 2016 Emerald Citations of Excellence Award. In 2017, he received the Dean's Award “Early Career Researcher of the Year” at LUMS.

He is member of the Editorial Boards of Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Family Business Review, and Journal of Family Business Strategy, and served as Guest Editor for Special Issues in Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice and International Journal of Management Reviews. He is a Board Member and Executive Director of Research & Publications of the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA).

Research Interests
Fundamental questions in the theory of the family firm, including definition of family firms and the drivers of heterogeneity in family firm behavior and performance.
Interplay of financial and non-financial goals in family firms, including (a) definition and antecedents of family firm goals, (b) goal formulation processes, and (c) trade-offs between financial and non-financial goals in strategic decision making.
Innovation in family firms, including (a) behavioral and strategic differences in innovation between family and non-family firms, (b) the influence of family governance on the organization of new product development programmes, and (c) distinctive resources and capabilities that enable/constrain innovation in family firms.
Resources, dynamic capabilities and the sources of sustainable competitive advantage in family firms.