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Why large firms fail to live up to the lean dream (2014)
- PaulHoule 5y agoThis https://www.amazon.com/Have-Fun-at-Work-Livingston/dp/0937063053 https://www.amazon.com/Have-Fun-at-Work-Livingston/dp/093706... is a manifesto for "small groups" to solve hard problems.
- fshbbdssbbgdd 5y agoMy thesis: At a small startup, ordinary employees have the power to make the company succeed, so incentives are aligned for everyone to work directly toward that goal. At a big company, it’s hard to change the overall trajectory, but easier to convince the management one or two layers above you that you are important and require continued investment. Like a game of telephone, each layer results in information loss and lowered efficiency.
- maxwell 5y agoNote that the article is geared toward manufacturing firms, not communications and media distribution (most "software") companies. My own experience is actually, surprisingly, after 10 years in startups, that small software companies suffer from inefficiencies of lack of scale, while well-run big public companies (my current employer is the only I've encountered) benefit from employees being able to specialize into preferred types of work instead needing to wear many ill-fitting hats.