Because the ego started to grow bigger than the project itself’
A case study of founder’s syndrome on an educational community of practise
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12894561 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Donovon Ceaser (California State University, East Bay, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 459-476 |
| Publication date | 2017-10-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethnography & Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1745-7823 • E-ISSN: 1745-7831 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17457823.2017.1384321 |
| OpenAlex | W2762216054 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 17 |
In 2010 I worked at Green Shoots, a nonprofit service-learning urban farming school started by John Browne. Despite an openly egalitarian community of practise ethic, Browne used his leadership to create a hierarchy at the school that eventually led to a walk-out by staff in which he responded by outright firing them. Using the theory of founder’s syndrome, or the tendency of a founder to subvert the aims of their organization, I examine Browne’s leadership and how his attitude destroyed the community of practise at Green Shoots. Findings reveal a character profile of Browne as a charming and inspirational teacher who engaged in a dominating leadership that contradicted the community of practise's ideals, creating further contradictions which resulted in disrespected students, disillusioned staff, and a founder unable to take responsibility for his leadership. Finally, I discuss the importance of addressing the power of founders so that founder’s syndrome does not impede the important work of educational nonprofits
Hierarchy · Id, ego and super-ego · Management · Media studies · Pedagogy · Political science · Power (physics · Psychoanalysis · Service (business · Social science · Sociology · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Law · Management and Organizational Studies · Psychology · Service-Learning and Community Engagement
Communities of Practice
Within and Beyond Communities of Practice
The practice of learning
Limits to Communities of Practice
Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes
Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems
Unlearning adultism at Green Shoots
Using the communities of practice framework to examine an after‐school environmental education program for Hispanic youth
Community service or activism as an identity project for youth
Commercialism and the mission of nonprofits
Situated Learning
What if We Are Doing This All Wrong
Doing Scene
The Form and Meaning of Young People's Involvement in Community and Political Work
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.43 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2024 (6) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |