RESEARCHERS
4 the researchers behind it — "I can't pivot — I've put everything into this direction" and "resting feels like falling behind" are among the most common scripts founders carry. Or
University of Delaware
Known for:Meta-analytic synthesis of escalation of commitment — why decision-makers continue investing in failing courses of action
Key findings
With Conlon, McNamara, and Miles, Sleesman synthesized 166 escalation studies and found that sunk costs, project completion proximity, and self-justification motives were the strongest drivers of over-persistence — not expected future returns or information quality. ↗
Texas A&M University
Known for:Qualitative research on how entrepreneurs respond to negative feedback through idea and identity work — especially the role of identity in successful pivoting
Key findings
Across 65 pivoting founders, Grimes found that pivot-resistant behavior was driven more by identity threat than by genuine belief in the original direction — and that successful pivots required active identity work: reframing who the founder is so the new direction feels like growth rather than defeat. ↗
University of Mannheim
Known for:Occupational health research on work recovery — especially the role of psychological detachment from work as a predictor of sustained performance and well-being
Key findings
In longitudinal diary research on 147 employees, Sonnentag found that psychological detachment from work during off-job time — mentally disengaging, not just physically leaving — predicted next-day proactive behavior and well-being, establishing recovery as a performance input, not a performance cost. ↗
With Charlotte Fritz, Sonnentag validated the Recovery Experience Questionnaire across samples, identifying psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control as four distinct recovery mechanisms — with detachment as the strongest single predictor of recovery quality, sustained performance, and health outcomes. ↗
University of California, Berkeley
Known for:Foundational research on escalation of commitment — demonstrating that personal responsibility for a prior investment drives continued over-investment even as evidence of failure mounts
Key findings
In a controlled experiment, Staw found that participants who felt personally responsible for an initial investment continued allocating significantly more resources to it when it showed signs of failure — establishing escalation of commitment as a documented cognitive phenomenon driven by self-justification, not strategic logic. ↗