366 Int. J. Entrepreneurial Venturing, Vol. 2, Nos. 3/4, 2010 Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Are family firms fit for innovation? Towards an agenda for empirical research Dietmar Roessl* WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Research Institute for Co-operation and Co-operatives, Augasse 2-6, A-1090 Vienna, Austria E-mail: dietmar.roessl@wu-wien.ac.at *Corresponding author Matthias Fink WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Institute for Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship, Augasse 2-6, A-1090 Vienna, Austria E-mail: matthias.fink@wu-wien.ac.at Sascha Kraus University of Liechtenstein, Fürst-Franz-Josef-Strasse, FL-9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein Email: sascha.kraus@hochschule.li Abstract: Based on a comprehensive literature review, we seek to understand the readiness and ability of family firms to innovate and track the innovativeness of family businesses back to their characteristics as a basis for future empirical research. For this, we contrast the characteristics of family firms with the premises of innovation. The resulting profile of fit and misfit allows for the identification of aspects that both promote and hinder innovation in family firms. The identified aspects are condensed to a model which may be used to structure future empirical research on innovation in family firms. Keywords: innovation; innovativeness; family firms; theory-building. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Roessl, D., Fink, M. and Kraus, S. (2010) ‘Are family firms fit for innovation? Towards an agenda for empirical research’, Int. J. Entrepreneurial Venturing, Vol. 2, Nos. 3/4, pp.366–380. Biographical notes: Dietmar Roessl is the Head of the Research Institute for Co-operation and Co-operatives and Professor at the Institute for Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship at the WU Vienna University of Economics and Business. He holds a Postdoctoral degree in the area of Business Administration and Management (venia legendi). He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Pilsen/Cheb in the Czech Republic and at the Free University of Bolzano, Italy. His main research interests are interfirm cooperation/networks, cooperatives, community entrepreneurship and relationship management.