Roland E. Kidwell was a 2023-2024 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Belgium who worked on family business research with colleagues and doctoral students at the Research Center for Entrepreneurship and Family Firms at Hasselt University. Roland is professor of management and entrepreneurship at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. His current research focuses on dysfunctional behavior, executive compensation, and human resource management in family businesses. and he has published extensively in academic journals. He is a Fellow of the Family Firm Institute and the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. His PhD is from Louisiana State University.
Q: Describe your grant project.
My projects involved the study of conflict and dysfunctional behavior in family firms. Specifically, these projects involved compiling and editing a book of cases on this topic (to be published by Edward Elgar) as well as a short book on dysfunction and deviance (to be published by Palgrave) and a journal article that was in the review process at Family Business Review when I arrived. I planned to complete editing the case book and the short book while I was here. With my colleagues, I also planned to finish revising and submitting the journal article. I also continued work with a colleague at Hasselt University on a qualitative study of executive compensation in family firms. I also planned to connect with family businesses in Belgium during my stay in pursuit of future research.
Q: What inspired you to apply to the Fulbright Program in Belgium?
I conducted research with a colleague at Hasselt University in past years while serving as a faculty member at Florida Atlantic University. We published an article together on executive compensation in family firms in 2022 and wanted our collaborative research efforts to continue. Thus, I was seeking to come to Belgium, specifically Hasselt University, to continue our ongoing work in this area as well as my own research on family business. I was also inspired to seek a Fulbright to engage in this collaboration by my wife, Linda Kidwell, who was a Fulbright Scholar in Romania in 2015. She suggested that I apply for the program, and I followed her advice.
Q: What have you accomplished during your time in Belgium? What can you tell us about the initial outcomes of your research?
The case book was submitted to the publisher in December. It was a difficult task in coordinating 19 cases, teaching notes, and submissions that involved more than 30 contributors including academics from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and UK. The cases had to be reviewed by other contributors starting in September, then edited by me, sent out for revisions by the authors and reviewed one last time.
The short book on heterogeneity of dysfunction and deviance was submitted to the publisher at the end of October, and based on feedback from reviewers, revisions were submitted in December. A refereed journal article (literature review for special issue of Family Business Review) received a conditional acceptance in December. The article was started prior to me coming to Belgium but the final two revisions were completed here. Finally, my colleague at UHasselt and I moved our executive compensation project forward while I was here.
Q: Describe a typical day in your life.
I stayed in a small flat in the city center of Hasselt for the three months I spent in Belgium. After eating breakfast, I would catch the bus out to the Diepenbeek campus of Hasselt University (about a 10 minute ride) where I had an office where I could connect my laptop to a large computer screen. I would work there each weekday on the research projects, having lunch at the school which had great discounts on good meals. Back on the bus home at the end of the day, I would get to the grocery store (if needed) before closing, or other stores, as most everything closed at 6pm. I had dinner at home or at one of the many restaurants in the immediate area. Evenings were often spent stopping by a bar (not too much), reading at the flat, watching TV, or doing laundry. I came into Brussels to participate in Fulbright activities if any were going on and did some other touring around the country usually on weekends – Brussels (again), Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge museum). Evenings were also spent getting some exercise by walking the city center.
Q: In what ways have you engaged with your host community in Belgium?
I did enjoy the Jenever Festival in Hasselt and showing some other visiting Fulbright grantees from Brussels around town. Also, I attended open mic night and jazz night a few times at the nearby microbrewery (four stories below my flat). Fortunately for them, I did not sing. I also went to a football match in nearby Genk, (first time at a live soccer match). I tried to participate in as many Fulbright activities as I could – Thanksgiving dinner at the deputy ambassador’s residence, Saturday museum trip to Antwerp, Sunday trip to Luxembourg. Finally, as noted above, I visited some tourist sights in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, Liege, and the Bastogne War Museum.
Q: Can you tell us the story of particularly memorable moments from your time in Belgium?
There are several: Watching the Genk-Leuven football game with some UHasselt colleagues, and with my phone actually videoing a goal. Assisting an older woman by lifting her luggage onto the rack in the train and being rewarded with a candy bar. Attending open mic night at a bar and listening to some poetry read in Dutch and finding out later that it was the lyrics to a Billie Eilish song. Being stuck at the same bar and having to listen to a heavy metal band play for a half hour. There are probably more memorable moments but that’s plenty for now.
Q: Has Belgium been what you expected? In what ways has life in Belgium surprised you, either for its similarities to or differences from your own culture?
I was not really surprised by too much. I had been here before and knew a little bit and read up on culture before arriving. The public transportation, especially rail, is quite good other than the random strike which might last a day or two. The food was generally good, but the Belgians don’t believe in crisp bacon and I’m still not into mayonnaise on my Belgian fries. Interestingly, due to immigration after World War II of people coming to work in the mining industry, there are now many great Italian restaurants in Hasselt and other cities. The language differences are interesting, as are the different Flemish dialects, similar to accents in regions of the US. During my stay, I found it true that the Belgians are polite and nice but very reserved and preserve their personal space. During my stay, I was invited to the homes of the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission and the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union through Fulbright but I was not invited to anyone’s home in Hasselt. That just would not happen to someone who was visiting me and my school in the States. But maybe if I had stayed for nine months?
Q: What has been your favorite “discovery” in Belgium?
Museum of Musical Instruments in Brussels.
Q: What will you do after your Fulbright grant? In what ways has your experience in Belgium this year impacted your plans for the future?
I will continue to do my research in family business with my colleagues here in Belgium. I hope to be selected as an outside reviewer (jury member) for upcoming PhD dissertations at Hasselt and other universities. I definitely want to maintain the connections I have made here. The experience also solidified my desire to spend extended periods of work or personal time outside the USA.
Q: What misconceptions do you think other Americans may have about Belgium? What do you wish everyone knew about Belgium?
If Americans think Belgium is boring, they are wrong. It is a very diverse place with multiple languages and ethnicities and much to do and see. Many important events in world history occurred here. It is truly the Heart of Europe.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying to the Fulbright Program?
If you apply, you will have a very supportive Fulbright staff in Belgium but when selected you should plan to take care of yourself and get things done without any micro management. Other grantees are very supportive as well. Recognize that while you want to come into the Fulbright experience with a detailed project, things may turn out differently than you expected. This is fine. There is no pressure to complete everything you planned to do, other than the pressure you put on yourself. Be patient and flexible throughout the process; after you are selected, the visa process and the residency registration are time consuming and sometimes frustrating. However, it all turns out well in the end. Finally, you may not believe you will be selected if you apply – but if you don’t apply you definitely won’t be selected.