Team Trust and Control in New Venture Emergence

Journal article, 2018

Purpose – Effective internal dynamics of new venture teams is seen as a key contributor to venture success. The purpose of this article is to investigate the ways in which new venture teams consisting of nascent entrepreneurs initiate trust and control during venture emergence. Design/methodology/approach – Dimensions of trust and control are developed into an analytical framework applied to documented team norms. Coding detects frequency of trust and control dimensions. Supplementary data triangulates findings and explores follow-on effects in team dynamics and venture emergence. Findings – Frequency of coded dimensions generates a venture team profile. Teams prime their dynamics through use of trust and/or control language in documented norms. Priming is seen to influence entrepreneurial perseverance during venture emergence, stemming either directly from team dynamics, or indirectly from key shareholder relationships or environmental conditions. Research limitations/implications – Data are bounded to a specific contextual setting representing incubation and education, where the nascent entrepreneurs are simultaneously students. The complexity of venture emergence means that multiple factors influencing new venture teams may influence trust and control in ways currently unaccounted for. Practical implications – Exploration of trust and control during venture emergence emphasizes soft-skills critical to entrepreneurial perseverance and venture success. Team norms can be designed to prime towards trust or control, and can be indicative of teams’ sensitivity to external factors, enabling evidence for intervention. Originality/value – The article illustrates ways in which trust and control influence team dynamics during venture emergence.