Investigating the process of entrepreneurial team member exits: a systematic review and future research directions

Entrepreneurial teams are dynamic entities that frequently experience the exit of individual team members. Such entrepreneurial team member exits (ETMEs) entail serious consequences for the exiting individual, the remaining team, and the performance of the affected venture. While ETMEs are receiving increasing scholarly attention, the research landscape is still considerably fragmented. This is the first article to take stock, analyze, and discuss this crucial and emerging field of research by providing a systematic review of the literature on ETMEs. We identify central themes comprising of antecedents, routes, consequences, and the contextual embeddedness of ETMEs and integrate them into a comprehensive processual framework. Based on this framework, we contribute to the research on ETMEs by discussing the themes in the light of promising theoretical perspectives, introducing novel ideas, concepts, and approaches to enrich future avenues. Specifically, we propose to expand the concept of team heterogeneity to advance our understanding of antecedents as well as to investigate power relations and negotiation behavior within ETME routes. In addition, we offer ways to resolve the sometimes inconsistent findings in terms of venture consequences and present a fertile approach for a more in-depth cultural contextualization of the phenomenon.