It is a popular term for a difficulty faced by organizations where one or more founders maintain disproportionate power and influence following the effective initial establishment of the project.
What Is Founders Syndrome-The Nutshell Version. Founders Syndrome occurs when a single individual or a small group of individuals bring an organization through tough times (a start-up, a growth spurt, a financial collapse, etc.). Often these sorts of situations require a strong passionate personality-someone who can make fast decisions and motivate people to action. The founder could be the CEO. Or it could be a board member, or a handful of board members who have either been there since the beginning or have ridden the organization through tough times. But the main symptom of Founders Syndrome is that decisions are not made collectively. Founder's syndrome (also founderitis) is a popular term for a difficulty faced by organizations where one or more founders maintain disproportionate power and influence following the effective initial establishment of the project, leading to a wide range of problems for both the organization and those involved in it. 1 The founder makes all decisions, big and small, without a formal process or input from others. 2  Decisions are made in crisis mode, with little forward planning. 3  Staff meetings are held generally to rally the troops, get status reports, and assign tasks. 1 In other words, everyone who is NOT the founder is only a support to the founder. 2  Planning is not done collectively and any ideas that do not come from the founder usually don’t go very far. 3  People can even become afraid of the founder. 4  The board is recruited by the founder, rather than by the board itself. 1 Planning is not done collectively and any ideas that do not come from the founder usually don’t go very far. 2  People can even become afraid of the founder. 3  The board is recruited by the founder, rather than by the board itself. 4  Often they are friends of the founder, who may have been there from the beginning. Founders Syndrome is no one’s fault—no founder sets out to damage his or her organization. Staff and board members or leadership who avoid responsibility mare often also part of the problem. There are actions that founders, board members, and staff can take to avoid the problems of founder’s syndrome. 1 Planning is not done collectively and any ideas that do not come from the founder usually don’t go very far. 2  People can even become afraid of the founder. 3  The board is recruited by the founder, rather than by the board itself. 4  Often they are friends of the founder, who may have been there from the beginning. Founder’s syndrome occurs when an organization or team operates primarily according to the personality of a key person, such as the founder or director, rather than focused on its overall mission. Dealing with founder’s syndrome is a typical problem among start-up or small organizations. It is also often a natural part of an organization’s life cycle. The start-up or growth phase of any initiative requires a strong, passionate personality—someone who can make fast decisions and motivate people to action. 1 Planning is not done collectively and any ideas that do not come from the founder usually don’t go very far. 2  People can even become afraid of the founder. 3  The board is recruited by the founder, rather than by the board itself. 4  Often they are friends of the founder, who may have been there from the beginning. People become afraid of the founder. · Founders Syndrome is no one's fault -- no founder sets out to damage their organization. Besides, the syndrome rarely takes hold without numerous members of the Board and staff exhibiting symptoms of the syndrome. · Ultimately, Founders Syndrome sets in because the organization becomes dependent, not on the systems and structures of the organization, but on the unique style of the leader -- whether the leader is consistently decisive or consistently indecisive. An organization suffering from Founder's syndrome typically presents many of the following symptoms: 1  The organization is strongly identified with the person or personality of the founder. 2  The founder makes all decisions, big and small, without a formal process or input from others. 1 The founder makes all decisions, big and small, without a formal process or input from others. 2  Decisions are made in crisis mode, with little forward planning. 3  Staff meetings are held generally to rally the troops, get status reports, and assign tasks. The Symptoms. The literature uses the term “founder’s syndrome” inconsistently, but a common thread is that this is a psychological illness, and the blame for this illness falls squarely on the shoulders of the founder. The label seems to be applied if one or more of the following symptoms are present.  Founder’s syndrome. It affects nonprofits and for-profits alike. And it can be crippling to any organization. Understanding what it is and how to avoid it is crucial to the future of your 501(c)(3). Taken from that most-reputable of sources, Wikipedia, founder’s syndrome is defined as, “a pattern of negative or undesirable behavior on the part of the founder(s) of an organization” . An organization still run by its founder has to deal with transition issues not faced by other groups. The founder may be the personification of the organization and its artistic mission, and the board is usually reluctant to make the first move toward change. Founder’s syndrome has the following symptoms: 1  A strong leader who builds an organization from scratch finds it difficult to delegate responsibility or develop staff that could potentially take over. 2  The founder alone knows where every penny of every grant went. It is easy to recognize founder’s syndrome when you see it. The problem is compounded when the board is complacent, too loyal, or unwilling to take charge of the organization. The board has to be able to recognize a problem and take strategic steps to find its way out of the situation.
http://help4nonprofits.com/NP_Bd_FoundersSyndrome_Art.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founder%27s_syndrome http://www.how-matters.org/2013/03/24/founders-syndrome-part-i/ http://www.how-matters.org/2013/03/24/founders-syndrome-part-i/ http://www.how-matters.org/2013/03/24/founders-syndrome-part-i/ http://managementhelp.org/misc/founders.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founder%27s_syndrome https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2013/07/01/rediagnosing-founder-s-syndrome-moving-beyond-stereotypes-to-improve-nonprofit-performance/ https://www.501c3.org/avoiding-501c3-founders-syndrome/ http://www.arts.texas.gov/resources/tools-for-results/leadership-transitions/challenge-of-founders-syndrome/
what is founder's syndrome