A Theory of the Start-Up Workforce (Bort 2025) | FT50 AMR

🎙️ Welcome to Revise and Resubmit — the podcast where bold ideas meet critical thinking, and each episode explores research that shapes the way we understand the world around us.Today, we’re entering the fast-paced, uncertain, and endlessly fascinating world of start-ups — not through the eyes of the founders, but through the lens of those who join the mission, build the vision, and walk the tightrope of risk and reward: the employees.In this episode, we dive into the paper “A Theory of the Start-Up Workforce” by James Bort, published in the Academy of Management Review, one of the world’s most prestigious academic journals and a proud member of the FT50 list.Bort shifts the spotlight to a crucial but often-overlooked cast: early-stage employees. These aren’t just passive players waiting for orders. They’re co-constructors of opportunity, shaping and reshaping both the company’s story and their own careers. With narrative theory and organizational insight, this paper traces how start-up employees entrain, resist, evolve — and sometimes, redefine the trajectory of the venture itself.So here’s the question: When you join a start-up, are you following someone else’s dream — or helping to write a new one?A special thank you to James Bort and to the Academy of Management for bringing this important conversation to life.If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe to “Revise and Resubmit” on Spotify, and check out our YouTube channel, Weekend Researcher. We’re also streaming on Amazon Prime Music and Apple Podcast.Because research matters — especially when it asks us to see the familiar in unfamiliar ways.ReferenceJames Bort, (2025) A Theory of the Start-Up Workforce. Academy of Management Review, ahead-of-print, https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2023.0174Youtube Channel⁠https://www.youtube.com/@weekendresearcher⁠Support us on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/weekendresearcher