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Strategy Science – September 2025 Issue

  • 1.  Strategy Science – September 2025 Issue

    Posted 10-13-2025 12:38

    Dear Friends of Strategy Science,

    I am pleased to share with you the 
    September 2025 issue of Strategy Science, which features the five outstanding papers listed below.

    CEO Succession and Patenting in Family Firms
    by Mario Daniele AmoreMorten BennedsenBordin Bordeerath, and Nicolai J. Foss

    • Is family leadership good or bad for innovation? Using Danish register data, we show that family CEOs increase patenting compared to professional CEOs, with stronger effects for university-educated family CEOs.

    From Church Leadership to Firm Leadership: Religion of Early State Residents, State Institutions, and Present-Day Corporate Female Executives
    by Kunyuan Qiao

    • Early religious influences in U.S. states have left imprints in state constitutions that are associated with present-day female representation in corporate leadership. By analyzing variance in historical Protestant prevalence and Catholic immigration prior to a state’s admission to the Union, this study finds that these religious imprints persist in state constitutions and their emphasis on equality, and that these patterns are associated with leadership diversity in S&P 1500 firms.

    Management by Originals: Inventor CEOs and Firms’ Strategic Change

    by Yungu Kang, and David Zhu

    • Inventor CEOs have the attributes of divergent thinking and intrinsic motivation and, accordingly, pursue strategies that deviate from the past.

    Extending Intellectual Property Research in Copyright: A New Data Set from the U.S. Copyright Office

    by Brent LutesJoel Waldfogel, and Jeremy Watson

    • Intellectual property is an important area where research on innovation incentives has been greatly facilitated by widespread patent and trademark data availability. Missing, until now, have been detailed data on the copyright system.  This paper corrects that deficiency by introducing a dataset of 30 million copyright records with links to related Compustat and litigation data. We also demonstrate the utility of the data by examining firm IP usage and the relationship between copyright registration and litigation activity.

    Signposts for Problemistic Search: Reference Points and Adaptation in Rugged Landscapes

    by Axel ZeijenManuel Romagnoli, and Luigi Marengo

    • When organizations search for new ideas in complex environments, reference points transform rugged landscapes into "terraces." This study reveals how peer comparisons shape search direction and potential outcomes, and the dynamic trade-offs between immediately helpful solutions and long-term success.

    Please enjoy these papers and share them with your colleagues.  Also, please connect with us on LinkedIn or follow us on X.


    Sincerely,


    Todd Zenger

    Editor-in-Chief



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    Todd Zenger
    The University of Utah
    Salt Lake City UT
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