Interpersonal Uncertainties within Entrepreneurial Teams

Abstract

The entrepreneurial journey entails many uncertainties for entrepreneurs. Founding a venture as a part of a team adds a crucial source of uncertainty for entrepreneurs, namely their relationships within the entrepreneurial team. However, the uncertainties evolving from interpersonal relationships between the team members and their impact on team and venture development have not been sufficiently understood by previous research. Utilizing a process approach and drawing on various incidents of interpersonal uncertainties within entrepreneurial teams, we develop a dynamic model of the consequences of interpersonal uncertainties. The model outlines three paths that entrepreneurial team members followed, influenced by their perception of status hierarchies. This study contributes to research on entrepreneurial teams as well as human communication, and social psychology. We provide a better understanding of the development of interpersonal relationships within entrepreneurial teams by showing how team members manage the challenges connected to the team relationships and by highlighting ways how team processes form.