Politecnico di Bari professor recognized for research on innovation through tradition

Professor Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli of Politecnico di Bari is one of five international authors honored with the AMD Decade Award 2026 by the Academy of Management Perspectives. The award recognizes the significant business impact of the 2016 research paper, “Innovation Through Tradition: Lessons from Innovative Family Businesses and Directions for Future Research.”

The research challenged the prevailing management trend of pursuing modernization by exclusively abandoning the past. Instead, the authors argued that tradition can serve as a strategic resource for innovation if a company internalizes its history, craftsmanship, and core values. This strategy, termed “innovation through tradition,” is considered applicable to both family-owned and non-family businesses.