STEP

Baylor University has long been known for excellent education and high impact research in family business and has for many years been involved in annual conferences such as USASBE, the Family Firm Institute (FFI), the Academy of Management (AOM), and the Family Enterprise Research Council (FERC) to raise the visibility of family business as an important area of entrepreneurship research. Additionally, Baylor is home to one of the leading journals of entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice - known as a leading source for family business research.

The Institute for Family Business, within the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, has been designated as a Regional Coordinator for the North American Affiliate Board of the Babson College STEP program. The program currently operates in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, coordinating a comprehensive research initiative to gain insight into the Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices (STEP)of family owned businesses that have survived and thrived multiple succession events. The research program is designed to investigate the phenomenon of corporate entrepreneurship in the context of the family form of business organization. Baylor will be a partner affiliate and will coordinate the efforts of scholars from other universities within our region. Baylor is proud to be one of only ten institutions to sit on the affiliate board, further confirmation of Baylor's increasing recognition within the Academy.

Baylor facultywho are involved with the STEP program include Ray Bagby, Ray_Bagby@baylor.edu,and William J. Worthington, Bill_Worthington@baylor.edu. Ray Bagby is the Robert M. and Louise Rogers Chair of Entrepreneurshipat the Hankamer School of Business. Ray has been active in the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management, the Southern Management Association and the International Council for Small Business.Bill Worthington is Assistant Professor of Strategy and Family Business at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor. His research on organizational resilience and family firm succession seeks practical insight into leadership execution of mission fulfillment.

                               Ray Bagby                                                        Bill Worthington