Research Specialties

• Communication in organiztions
• Conflict management
• Family business
• Leadership in organizations

Current Research

• Family capital and firm performance
• Novice, serial, and portfolio entrepreneurship 
• Predictors of longevity in small family firms

Major works

• "The Collaborative Network Orientation: Achieving Business Success Through Collaborative Relationships," with C.A. Folker and K. H. Brigham, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, July 2008.
• "Achieving Sustained Competitive Advantage: A Family Capital Theory," with M. Hoelscher and J. Hoffman, Family Business Review, Vol. 24 (2), 2006. 
• "The Contribution of Leadership Styles and Practices to Family and Business Success," Family Business Review, Vol. 12 (3), 2000.
• "Conflict Strategies Used by Successful Family Businesses," Family Business Review, Vol. 12 (4), 1999.
• "What Motivates Choice of Conflict Strategies?" with E. A. Morse and G.T. Savage, International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 10 (1), 1999.

Significant Scholarly Honors

• Trinity Companies Professor in Management, Texas Tech University.
• Elected Program Chair for the Family Business Division of the United States Association and Entrepreneurship, fall 2005.