Jürgen Hauschildt Prize 2025 Awarded to Groundbreaking Study on “Good Faith” in Business Alliances

Marvin Hanisch (Faculty of Economics and Business), together with his co-authors Lorenz Graf-Vlachy, Carolin Häussler, Andreas König, and Theresa S. Cho, has been awarded the prestigious Jürgen Hauschildt Prize 2025 for their publication, “Kindred spirits: Cognitive frame similarity and good faith provisions in strategic alliance contracts,” published in the Strategic Management Journal. The prize, awarded by the VHB (Verband der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft), recognizes empirically grounded research of exceptional scientific quality in innovation management.

Kindred Spirits in Business: Why Similar Company Outlooks Lead to More Flexible Contracts

A new study reveals that companies with similar outlooks and values—or ‘cognitive frames’—are more likely to rely on flexible “good faith” clauses in their strategic alliance contracts. These provisions, which appeal to integrity and fair dealing, are legally enforceable but can be ambiguous, posing both opportunities and risks.

Researchers from the University of Groningen, TU Dortmund University, the University of Passau, and Seoul National University analyzed 1225 strategic alliance contracts in the biopharmaceutical industry. They found that when partners have similar ‘cognitive frames’, identified through the language on their “About Us” webpages, they use more good faith clauses.

“When companies see the world in a similar way, they feel more comfortable leaving parts of their contract open-ended,” says lead author Marvin Hanisch of the University of Groningen. “It’s a subconscious ‘mental shortcut’—they anticipate being able to work out future issues collaboratively, trusting that their shared perspective will guide them to a fair solution without needing to spell out every single detail from the start.”

The study also found this tendency is stronger when technological uncertainty is high, but weaker when companies have extensive experience in forming alliances. These insights help managers navigate the dilemma between rigid, detailed contracts and flexible, riskier ones, highlighting how subconscious thought processes shape critical business negotiations.

Jürgen Hauschildt Prize

Every year, the VHB’s Scientific Commission for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship awards the Jürgen Hauschildt Prize to academic papers. The prize recognizes empirical work of outstanding scientific quality that addresses a relevant issue in innovation management.

A video summary of the paper is available on YouTube. For more information, please contact Marvin Hanisch (m.hanisch rug.nl)