Moving From a Big Company to a Small Company

If you have ever worked in a large organization with a lot of structure and processes, it can seem very strange working in a small, entrepreneurial company.

Small, Entrepreneurial Companies

A small, entrepreneurial company can seem very loose if you grew up in a large organization. The small company will feel as if there are too few processes, two little structure, and too much inefficiency.

While you might appreciate the flexibility that exists in a small company, you will miss the certainty that exists in a larger, more structured organization.

You will wonder how anyone gets anything done in a small company if you came from a larger company.

Big Companies

If you leave a small, entrepreneurial company and begin working in a large, structured organization, you will feel constrained by what seems like an overwhelming amount of rules and regulations. Everything will be documented. You will notice a lot more paperwork, a lot more meetings, and slowness when it comes to making decisions.

A large, structured organization will seem confining. It will feel as if there are too many constraints, too many rules, and too many layers of bureaucracy.

While you will appreciate the massive increase in resources available to you, you will desperately miss the flexibility and resourcefulness that existed in the smaller, entrepreneurial environment.

You will wonder how anyone gets anything done in a large, bureaucratic organization.

Different Stages, Different Needs

Transitioning from one of these types of environments to another can be difficult. The differences can be drastic. But the truth of the matter is that as an organization grows it goes through changes.

What serves a company when it is very small and entrepreneurial, begins to prevent that company from being able to scale and grow. What is needed is the structure and process that allows the organization to deliver value at scale.

But as an organization grows larger, the same processes and structures that allowed the organization to grow can become a drag on growth. In some cases, the company needs a healthy shot of entrepreneurial spirit.

You can get things done in large and small companies, but you have to learn to work within the confines of the company you work for. What worked in a big company doesn’t always work in a small company.