The congruence of mental models in entrepreneurial teams – implications for performance and satisfaction in teams operating in an emerging economy

Paweł Ziemiański,Katarzyna Stankiewicz,Beata Krawczyk-Bryłka,Michał T Tomczak

doi:10.1108/jeee-02-2020-0033

Paweł Ziemiański, Katarzyna Stankiewicz + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1108/jeee-02-2020-0033

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Abstract

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the relationship between the congruence of mental models held by the members of entrepreneurial teams operating in an emerging economy (Poland) and entrepreneurial outcomes (performance and satisfaction).Design/methodology/approachThe data obtained from 18 nascent and 20 established entrepreneurial teams was analysed to answer hypotheses. The research was quantitative and was conducted using an online questionnaire. Data was collected from each of the teams at two stages. Members of entrepreneurial teams were surveyed independently, which allowed measuring the congruence of their mental models pertaining to running a venture.FindingsFindings reveal that team members’ mental model congruence is significantly related to financial performance and members’ satisfaction in the case of established entrepreneurial teams. However, in the case of nascent teams, there is no relationship between analysed variables.Practical implicationsImplications for theory and practice are offered with a special emphasis on entrepreneurship education. The concept of team mental model congruence is proposed to be included in training of nascent entrepreneurial teams, experienced companies and students.Originality/valueThe concept of team mental models investigated by the authors has been underexplored in entrepreneurship research. Results indicate that at least in some entrepreneurial teams, team mental models’ congruence is related to obtained outcomes. The paper proposes that principles of effectuation and causation can serve as the lens through which the mental model pertaining to running a venture can be analysed. It allows expanding studies on the congruence of team mental models in entrepreneurial teams beyond the strategic consensus.

Highlights

There has been a shift from the traditional perception of entrepreneurs as lonesome decision-makers to an increased approach to entrepreneurship as a team-level phenomenon (Klotz et al, 2014)
We examine whether a congruent team mental model is related to the entrepreneurial team’s performance and team members’ satisfaction in nascent and established entrepreneurial teams operating in an emerging economy
We provide a brief description of the effectuation and causation approaches to entrepreneurship that are used in this paper as a theoretical framework for conceptualising team mental models regarding entrepreneurial activities

Summary

Introduction

There has been a shift from the traditional perception of entrepreneurs as lonesome decision-makers to an increased approach to entrepreneurship as a team-level phenomenon (Klotz et al, 2014). As entrepreneurial teams are becoming more prevalent, studying their composition and intrateam interactions becomes an important task (Krawczyk-Bryłka et al, 2020; Stankiewicz et al, 2020) It seems that it is important in emerging economies where entrepreneurial activity is one of the possible ways of accelerating the development of a country (Villegas Mateos and Amoros, 2019). Not much is known whether a consensus between team members about other aspects of running a venture is related to outcomes (defined in this paper as performance and satisfaction) and whether this relationship differs in newly formed and established companies.

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