Examining founders past founding: role identity, leadership behaviour and psychodynamic social structures

• Autores: Susanna Kislenko
• Directores de la Tesis: John Almandoz Ríos (dir. tes.), Yih-teen Lee (dir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universidad de Navarra ( España ) en 2021
• Idioma: inglés
• Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Anneloes Raes (presid.), Inés Alegre Tort-Martorell (secret.), Megan Elizabeth Rouse (voc.), Dawn R. DeTienne (voc.), Marya L. Besharov (voc.)
• Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Dirección por la Universidad de Navarra
• Materias:
  • Ciencias económicas
    • Organización y dirección de empresas
      • Organización de recursos humanos
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• Resumen

  • Rather than leaving, many founders decide to continue as leaders of their organizations past the founding stage. Due to limited existing knowledge on founder leadership past the founding stage and prior to exit, we have yet to understand how founders transition into their leadership roles during this particular time period (herein referred to as the established stage). Existing research indicates that founders who stay on as leaders into the established stage, are often ruled by the desire to control. Moreover, studies on entrepreneurial exit show that the psychological attachment of the founder to their organization is influenced by their particular work orientation. Through a qualitative study of founders across a variety of non-profit and for-profit industries, I develop a theory of founder leadership to explain how identity selfunderstandings impact the distinct ways in which founders transition into their evolving roles beyond the founding stage and assess how they lead as a result. The findings reveal that there is a clear distinction in the way founders view themselves and their roles within the organizations they once established. The way in which a founder approaches their leadership role during the established stage is influenced by whether or not the founder identifies more with the founder or leader component of their role identity. Depending on this, and the level of attachment to their ideal self, the founder will exhibit particular leadership behaviours. Some founders - those that highly identify with the founder role identity alone and exhibit high levels of hero worship and attachment to their ideal selves - often create a social structure around themselves to protect this image at all costs. By providing insight into the way in which role identities influence the leadership behaviour of founders past the founding stage, this dissertation expands our understanding of founder leadership into the established stage and sheds light on how founders lead their organizations if they remain at the helm in the long-term.