Navigating tensions in rendering both career and psychosocial functions: An exploratory study of hybrid multiplex developmental relationships

This study presents a different perspective on multiplex developmental relationships encompassing both career and psychosocial functions by highlighting the unique contradictions and coping mechanisms underlying these relationships. The in‐depth qualitative comparative case study analyses of 73 developmental relationships of 20 nascent technology entrepreneurs yielded four tensions: disclosure‐privacy, dependence‐independence, criticism‐confirmation and formality‐informality. Entrepreneurs and their developers addressed these tensions through four coping strategies: selection, moderation, reframing and separation. The exploratory analysis suggests that tensions are inherent features of developmental relationships. Co‐existence of nurturing and enriching aspects together with the dilemmas posed by the tensions seems to provide the impetus for developers and developees to mutually calibrate ways to cope with these tensions and enhance their developmental relationships. The implications of these nuanced findings are discussed for understanding developmental relationships constituting both career and psychosocial support functions needed for career advancement.