Date of Award
8-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Management
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Chad Navis
Committee Member
Dr. Russel Purvis
Committee Member
Dr. Matt Hersel
Committee Member
Dr. Benjamin Grant
Abstract
Despite growing recognition of the significance of founders’ behaviors in shaping organizational culture, limited research has explored how founders’ non-verbal cues (NVCs) imprint culture during a venture’s formative stages. This qualitative case study examines how a founder’s NVCs, ranging from physical environment design to gestures and demeanor, are interpreted by employees and contribute to the imprinting of organizational culture. Drawing on imprinting theory, signaling theory, and the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP), the study triangulates data from semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and a literature review. Findings reveal that employees interpret 24 salient NVCs, grouped into themes of environmental values, people-centric leadership, pride of association, and authenticity through consistency. The analysis shows how these NVCs convey implicit signals of core values such as environmental sustainability and egalitarianism and influence employees’ perceptions, behaviors, and commitment. Importantly, the study highlights the moderating role of perceived authenticity and consistency, demonstrating that employees are more likely to internalize founder values and exhibit pride of association when observable behaviors align with espoused values. This research contributes a conceptual framework that integrates imprinting and signaling theories, illustrating how founders’ NVCs become embedded in organizational culture. The findings deepen understanding of cultural imprinting mechanisms in startups and offer practical insights for founders seeking to intentionally shape organizational culture through non-verbal communication.
Recommended Citation
Roskam, Dirk M., "Like Footprints in the Sand: How Founders Imprint Organizational Culture Through Nonverbal Cue Signaling" (2025). All Dissertations. 4009.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4009
Included in
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Leadership Commons, Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, Strategic Management Policy Commons