Skip to main content
Official Logo of Columbia Business School
Academics
  • Visit Academics
  • Degree Programs
  • Admissions
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
  • Campus Life
  • Career Management
Faculty & Research
  • Visit Faculty & Research
  • Academic Divisions
  • Search the Directory
  • Research
  • Faculty Resources
  • Teaching Excellence
Executive Education
  • Visit Executive Education
  • For Organizations
  • For Individuals
  • Program Finder
  • Online Programs
  • Certificates
About Us
  • Visit About Us
  • CBS Directory
  • Events Calendar
  • Leadership
  • Our History
  • The CBS Experience
  • Newsroom
Alumni
  • Visit Alumni
  • Update Your Information
  • Lifetime Network
  • Alumni Benefits
  • Alumni Career Management
  • Women's Circle
  • Alumni Clubs
Insights
  • Visit Insights
  • Digital Future
  • Climate
  • Business & Society
  • Entrepreneurship
  • 21st Century Finance
  • Magazine

Think Bigger

Our spotlight is on the latest groundbreaking work by Sheena Iyengar, the esteemed inaugural S.T. Lee Professor of Business in the Management Division at Columbia Business School, and a renowned authority on choice and decision-making. Her book is a beacon of inspiration for us all.

Published
January 8, 2024
Publication
Family Enterprise Insights
Jump to main content
think bigger book cover
Topic(s)
Family, Family Voices, Governance, Ownership

About the Researcher(s)

Sheena Iyengar

Sheena Iyengar

S. T. Lee Professor of Business
Management Division

0%

Welcome back to Family Enterprise Insights! We’re thrilled to resume our journey, steadfast in our mission to deliver insights that are both novel and practical, specially tailored for the intricate world of family enterprises.

As we embark on a new year, we come bearing three gifts: a wish, a commitment, and a suggestion, all encapsulated in our mantra for the year: “Think Bigger.”

Our spotlight is on the latest groundbreaking work by Sheena Iyengar, the esteemed inaugural S.T. Lee Professor of Business in the Management Division at Columbia Business School, and a renowned authority on choice and decision-making. Her book is a beacon of inspiration for us all.

It embodies our wish for the year: to focus intently on our objectives and their significance. Whether it’s a personal ambition, a family goal, or an organizational challenge, whether it’s about improving lives or solving critical problems, this book guides our path.

This brings us to our commitment at GFEP. Our dedication is unwavering in how we serve our students, enterprising families, and their broader ecosystem. We’re here to support, to enlighten, and to inspire. The steps illustrated in the book are influencing our work.

And lastly, our suggestion: dive into this book. Iyengar draws on the latest findings in neuro- and cognitive sciences, offering a practical framework for generating transformative ideas. Think Bigger is the culmination of a decade’s research and development by Iyengar and her team, presenting an evidence-based approach to sparking significant innovation.

Here’s to a year of thinking bigger, aiming higher, and achieving more!

About the Researcher(s)

Sheena Iyengar

Sheena Iyengar

S. T. Lee Professor of Business
Management Division

You Might Like

Consulting, Family, Family Voices, Governance, Ownership
Date
March 30, 2025
students pointing at a three circle model in Florence
Consulting, Family, Family Voices, Governance, Ownership

Global Immersion: Consulting & Advising Family Enterprises (CAFE in Italy) 2025 Student Reflections

Seven days, five Italian cities, six company visits, and more than a dozen engaging sessions—the “CAFE in Italy” Global Immersion course took 16 graduate students on a deep dive into the heart of Italian family enterprises. Led by Professor Gaia Marchisio, participants met with owners, next‐generation leaders, and seasoned advisors. Stops included Barilla, Petrolifera Italo Rumena (PIR), Ascoli Bottoni, Acetaia Giusti, Ferragamo, and Frescobaldi, as well as discussions with DeAgostini, Bocconi University, Association of Italian Family Businesses, and Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo. Students gained behind‐the‐scenes insight on succession, brand evolution, governance, and family values. The result was a vivid illustration of how tradition and innovation can combine to keep family legacies thriving across centuries.
  • Read more about Global Immersion: Consulting & Advising Family Enterprises (CAFE in Italy) 2025 Student Reflections about Global Immersion: Consulting & Advising Family Enterprises (CAFE in Italy) 2025 Student Reflections
Consulting, Family, Leadership, Practitioner Perspectives, Research Findings
Date
March 27, 2025
unbalanced scales
Consulting, Family, Leadership, Practitioner Perspectives, Research Findings

Advising Enterprising Families: The Role, the Gap, and the Opportunity

Advising enterprising families calls for more than just business savvy; it requires understanding trust, legacy, and emotion. While advisors are often skilled in governance and strategy, many overlook the “human architecture” that truly drives family enterprise success. Below, we explore how to bridge this critical gap.
  • Read more about Advising Enterprising Families: The Role, the Gap, and the Opportunity about Advising Enterprising Families: The Role, the Gap, and the Opportunity
Family, Leadership, Research Findings
Date
February 28, 2025
panelists at the 2025 Family Enterprise Conference
Family, Leadership, Research Findings

How Family Enterprises Can Benefit from The Employee Advantage by Stephan Meier

At the 2025 Family Enterprise Conference, Nepotism & Nurturing: Challenging the Narrative, Stephan Meier—author of The Employee Advantage—moderated our panel of family CEOs with one central theme: employees are a strategic resource, not just a cost. Meier spotlighted how family enterprises can unlock innovation and loyalty by combining their signature relational strengths (like trust and tradition) with transparent, merit-­based HR practices that prevent favoritism and ensure non-­family employees thrive, too. It’s an approach that research in family business fully supports: tapping into caring cultures is a proven source of competitive edge—but only when balanced with structures that keep the door open to all.Learn more about The Employee Advantage
  • Read more about How Family Enterprises Can Benefit from The Employee Advantage by Stephan Meier about How Family Enterprises Can Benefit from The Employee Advantage by Stephan Meier
Family, Leadership, Research Findings
Date
January 29, 2025
hands weighing a scale
Family, Leadership, Research Findings

Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations

In anticipation of our February 21 conference, Nepotism & Nurturing: Challenging the Narrative, this month’s newsletter dives into the complexities of nepotism in family enterprises. As coauthor Constantin Lagios explains in Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations, nepotism—“the practice of giving preferential treatment based on kinship or familial ties”—can have profound effects on an organization’s legacy and sustainability. While it fosters trust and unity among family members, unchecked nepotism can undermine fairness and efficiency, even contributing to misconduct. This issue explores how families can navigate these challenges and strike the right balance between relational bonds and professional merit. Join us at our upcoming conference to learn practical strategies for creating equitable, high-performing family enterprises.Read "Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations"
  • Read more about Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations about Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations
Save Article

Download PDF

More to Explore
Share
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Threads
  • Share on LinkedIn

External CSS

Official Logo of Columbia Business School

Columbia University in the City of New York
665 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027
Tel. 212-854-1100

Maps and Directions
    • Centers & Programs
    • Current Students
    • Corporate
    • Directory
    • Support Us
    • Recruiters & Partners
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Newsroom
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Accessibility
    • Privacy & Policy Statements
Back to Top Upward arrow
TOP

© Columbia University

  • X
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn