Developing Teams in Startups

Abstract: While team dynamics is a heavily researched topic, the applicability within startup companies is fairly uncommon within entrepreneurship academic research. Therefore, the purpose is to analyze the application of team development theories on startups and present team development tendencies. The ambition is to provide information for entrepreneurs to consider in their new or already existing venture. The information provided works to unveil the value of developing team dynamics within startup companies. It also works to describe how to consciously develop a team. Throughout the discussion, the following questions are answered: • Do startup industry characteristics need varying team dynamics approaches? • Which values do startups attribute to developing team dynamics? • Are startups consciously working on team dynamics? If so, which techniques are used? The methods applied include qualitative literature review through inductive reasoning combined with data collection from team members and managers among three startups. The literature review was applied to the study by offering a theoretical background while defining the scope of keywords and prolific theories. The collected data have been compared to existing theories within previous research, in order to conclude recommendations for startup stakeholders to consider while running a business.