Founder Dependency dalam Bisnis: Eksplorasi Ketergantungan Organisasi terhadap Pemilik dalam Pengambilan Keputusan

Abstract

Founder dependency becomes a governance concern when organizational decisions remain tied to an owner despite the availability of other decision makers. This study explores how such dependency can be understood and addressed through a qualitative documentary design. Twenty-two substantive scholarly abstracts published in journal issues from 2021 to 2026 were purposively selected, while three methodological articles guided interpretation and reporting. The analysis compared reported findings concerning authority, psychological ownership, knowledge transfer, professionalization, and succession. The synthesis identifies interrelated mechanisms involving concentrated decision rights, owner-centered knowledge, identity attachment, and weak institutional support for delegation. These mechanisms provide an interpretive framework rather than an estimate of dependency among Indonesian firms. The proposed response combines explicit decision boundaries, accessible organizational knowledge, gradual authority transfer, and review of decision outcomes. Founder involvement may remain valuable when matched to strategic needs and team capability. The study contributes a working distinction between beneficial founder participation and organizational inability to act without the founder. Its main limitations are abstract-level evidence, heterogeneous research contexts, and the absence of primary organizational data. Further research should examine actual decision episodes and changes in informal authority over time.