Talent Management in Early Stage Tech Companies

Question 1

Change

Answer 1

What was at the start doesn’t work later
Founder interviews everyone
CEO makes most major decisions

Question 2

SPEC

Answer 2

Looked at companies and how they were able to cope with growth
Why do they go to work (Money, Work, Community)
Who do you choose (Skills, Talent/potential, Fit with the team)
How are they coordinated (Direct monitoring, Cultural control, Professional standards)

Blueprint
Autocracy: you work, you get paid
Bureaucracy: structure and procedures
Commitment: fostering community
Engineering: removing barriers to work
Star: talent spotting and recruitment

Question 3

Tech Businesses

Answer 3

Typically star and commitment
These are the hardest to scale

Typically change into bureaucracy

Question 4

Important Factors for Managing Early Stage Tech Companies

Answer 4

Understand the organisational blueprint
Needs alignment to avoid disfunction

Understand the individual’s motivations

Managing change is difficult
People will resist or leave
Companies where the blueprints change are 2x more likely to fail
Where blueprints constantly grow, grow 40% faster

Successful outcomes depends on retaining staff

Question 5

National Culture and Organisational Culture

Answer 5

Power distance: less powerful people accept unequal power distribution

Uncertainty avoidance: extent to which members fell threatened by ambiguous situations

Individualism vs collectivism: where does well-being derive

Masculinity/Femininity: assertiveness vs consensus building

Question 6

Gender Disparity in Early Stage Businesses

Answer 6

Only 0.04% of start-ups are fast growing and led by women

250 billion could be generated if women started businesses at the same rate as men

For every £1 of venture capital, only 1p goes to an all female team. This is getting worse

Businesses do better with women leaders
Less likely to become insolvent
Increased growth