Research Overview

Profile

Richard has presented his research on early hires in start-up ventures at leading international conferences and pursues three active strands of inquiry:

• Early team selection and creation in entrepreneurial contexts, recognising the critical role of early hires as co-creators and carriers of organisational culture.
• Founder constraints as inhibitors of growth, examining how resource limitations and founder dependence shape venture trajectories.
• Intrapreneurial teams as agents of change, exploring their capacity to overcome organisational inertia and foster ambidexterity.

Research Interests

Richard’s work centres on the dynamics of non-founding team members and early joiners in start-up ventures. Drawing on social cognitive theory and imprinting theory, he investigates how founders and joiners interact to shape collective efficacy and foundational imprinting within micro-organisations. His research also examines:

• The moderating role of founder dependence in team development and venture growth.
• The relationship between intrapreneurial team composition and organisational ambidexterity, highlighting how diverse teams enable ventures to balance exploration and exploitation.

Conference Presentations

• 2025 – 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AoM), Copenhagen, Denmark ‘Prioritising Team Composition in Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Strategic Approach to Early Recruitment’
• 2024 – 38th British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference, Nottingham Business School, UK ‘Prioritising Team Composition in Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Strategic Approach to Early Recruitment in Crowded Start-Up Contexts’
• 2023 – 46th Annual Conference of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE), Aston Business School, Birmingham, UK ‘Before You Even Think About The (Start-Up) Project, Think About The Team’

Key Associations at Lancaster

• Academy for Gender and Social Justice Research in Organisations A research group dedicated to advancing knowledge on gender, diversity and social justice in organisational settings.
• Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business An interdisciplinary centre at Lancaster University focusing on sustainable business practices, environmental responsibility and the role of organisations in addressing global challenges.
• Centre for Scholarship and Innovation in Management Education A hub for advancing pedagogical innovation in management education, supporting research into teaching practices, curriculum design and the integration of scholarship into business education.
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group A research community examining entrepreneurial processes, innovation management and the role of new ventures in driving economic and social change.

Contribution

Richard’s work contributes to ongoing debates in entrepreneurship, organisational behaviour and management education. His research aims to advance theoretical understanding of early team dynamics and also engages with the practical application of insights in business and higher education, bridging the gap between academic scholarship and entrepreneurial practice.

Current Teaching

Richard teaches modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels on topics relating to entrepreneurship, management and strategy.