Preparing for scaling: A study on founder role evolution |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Ghent University, Department of Marketing, Innovation, and Organization, Tweekerkenstraat 2, 9000 Gent, Belgium;2. Vlerick Business School, Area Entrepreneurship, Governance and Strategy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department of Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation, Reep 1, 9000 Gent, Belgium;3. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department of Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation, Naamsestraat 69, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;4. Technical University Munich, Entrepreneurship Research Institute, Arcisstraße 21, 80333 Munich, Germany;1. Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Transfer Center enaCom, Brühler Straße 7, 53119 Bonn, Germany;2. Professor of Entrepreneurship and Digital Business Models, Faculty of Law and Economics, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany;1. School of Economics, Finance & Marketing, RMIT University, VIC, Australia;2. Department of Management, Monash Business School, Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia;3. Department of Economics, Monash Business School, Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia;4. Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School, Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia;1. Research School of Management, Australian National University, Australia;2. Farmer School of Business, Miami University, United States of America;3. Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, India;1. Indiana University, USA;2. Baruch College, USA |
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| Abstract: | One of the major entrepreneurial challenges faced by scaling firms involves changing their internal organization. Our study focuses on a particular aspect of internal organizing—namely, how founder roles evolve in preparation for scaling. By means of an in-depth case study and a combination of data collection methods, we study the evolution of formal and informal founder roles. For both types of roles, we identify a founder-driven and an interaction-driven phase, during which founder and/or joiner role-crafting take place. Through both types of role-crafting, founder roles are (re)shaped. Particularly unique to our study is that we identify three scaling-specific paths through which the role-crafting of joiners shapes founders' roles. Specifically, founders experience a role efficiency increase as they take over some of the joiner-introduced role behaviors, or a role set decrease as joiners take over some of their (formal or informal) roles. We further point to the importance of psychological safety and value fit for successful joiner role-crafting to occur and for founder roles to change following founder-joiner interactions. Our study adds to the literatures on scaling and entrepreneurship as well as to role theory and role-crafting literature. |
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