"Too big to fail" is the popular term of the moment but sometimes managers can make the mistake of thinking the opposite is true i.e. that their business or department is too small to succeed. This particular manifestation is when companies put off common best practices using the excuse that they are for big companies only. Implementing processes and procedures is a great example of this where managers will cite they do not have time or that they do not want to be slowed down by needless bureaucracy. This is simply an excuse for poor planning because the reality is that the difference between big companies and small companies should not be whether they have processes and procedures - they both need them to survive - it is at what level of detail those procedures should be written.
Any company, large or small, that does not have basic HR policies, Security policies, Finance policies etc. will quickly find their organization becomes directionless and they will spend more time clashing and disagreeing with each other, wasting more time than if they invested the effort up front. If you put 5smart people in 5 different rooms and ask them to solve the same problem they may well come up with 5 different, but equally valid, solutions. But it is the organization that agrees on one and then collectivity stands behind it that will make more progress than if those same individuals continue to lobby for their own idea.
A policy can start as a single statement- "We will attempt to pay mid-market salaries." from which you can manage exceptions. Once set, everyone knows where they stand and what is expected at a broad level. and you can add to this over time In larger organizations policies and procedures will grow to become voluminous documents which may well prove to be restrictive. But worse than too simple or too detailed a policy is no policy or procedure at all. And using the excuse we do not have time, or we are not large enough, is simply the prelude to disagreement, confusion and stalled progress. If you want to get to be "Too big to fail" you first need to be sure you do not behave like you are "To small to succeed".
Any company, large or small, that does not have basic HR policies, Security policies, Finance policies etc. will quickly find their organization becomes directionless and they will spend more time clashing and disagreeing with each other, wasting more time than if they invested the effort up front. If you put 5
A policy can start as a single statement- "We will attempt to pay mid-market salaries." from which you can manage exceptions. Once set, everyone knows where they stand and what is expected at a broad level. and you can add to this over time In larger organizations policies and procedures will grow to become voluminous documents which may well prove to be restrictive. But worse than too simple or too detailed a policy is no policy or procedure at all. And using the excuse we do not have time, or we are not large enough, is simply the prelude to disagreement, confusion and stalled progress. If you want to get to be "Too big to fail" you first need to be sure you do not behave like you are "To small to succeed".
I think you're right about this. Even as a 2 person company it's been very helpful to write down some "policies", even if they are just value statements like "we will not work for free" or "we won't take projects that clash with our core values."
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