A metaphorical model of entrepreneurial commitment
In our model, commitment is a period of transition or a change of phase. It is during this period that ambiguity, paradox and tension are at their highest. My intention here is to contribute to the subject, not to address it in its entirety. Escalation of commitment leading to irreversibility (where a termination of the process would be a failure for the entrepreneur) occurs at different stages of the venture creation process: before the company is legally established, when the project may still be fairly vague; during legal establishment or afterwards, if the entrepreneur has kept a paid job. In some cases, escalation of commitment is gradual, spread over a fairly long period, with no particular critical moment. In other cases it occurs as a sudden rupture. In this section, we will try to understand the phenomenon of commitment escalation and its different forms. Giving up paid employment to create a business is not only a strategic change, but also an extremely important career choice for an individual.