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The Founder Leadership Research Project is an initiative developed to explore what happens when founders continue to lead their organisations long after the start-up stage. While most research focuses on the early journey of turning ideas into reality, far less attention has been given to how founders guide organisations as they grow and mature.

Led by Dr Susanna Kislenko, a social psychologist specialising in entrepreneurial leadership, the project examines both the strengths and challenges of long-term founder leadership. Dr Kislenko has done extensive research into a phenomenon known as Founder’s Syndrome – when founders retain so much control that it can create a wide array of problems, from hindering growth or limiting potential, even to complete organisational failure.

The project’s goal is to deepen understanding of founder leadership, share insights with both academic and public audiences, and spark constructive debate on how society views founders

As the project develops, its aims will be to:

  • Lead research on the way in which founders lead past the founding stage.
  • Become the global leader on knowledge of the phenomenon of Founder’s Syndrome.
  • Share research insights with both academic audiences and the general public, particularly those that are founders themselves, people who work with founders or support founders in any other form.
  • Generate healthy debate on the way in which society views founders and approaches founder leadership as a whole.

The Founder Leadership Research Project is hosted by the Centre on Mutual and Co-owned Business at Kellogg College. With its strong tradition of interdisciplinary research, global outlook and close links between academia, policy and practice, Kellogg is ideally placed to host this research. As Oxford’s most international and diverse graduate college, Kellogg provides the ideal environment for exploring complex issues of leadership, innovation and organisational change, ensuring that the project’s insights reach well beyond the university.