Here is a brief look at some of the challenges of a startup or a small organization starting to scale.
If an organization is generously funded with money and time, they would have the luxury to add leadership talent and senior HR talent ahead of the scaling curve. On the other hand, if organisations are strapped for resources, they are likely to face a host of challenges on the staffing front while dealing with scaling issues simultaneously.
Oftentimes at the early growth stage of an organization, roles of individuals are liable for frequent change. Constant changes in organization structure and team formation may be required. I have seen instances of organizations navigating this stage exceptionally with evidence of clear leadership and deliberately building the organization around a core team.
However, talent infusion may still be required from outside. Such induction may lead to cultural conflicts and redrawing of roles and territories and some decisive calls may need to be made by the CEO or Founders. This may lead to some expected and unexpected consequences.
As the organization continues to grow, it may need to capitalize on business opportunities which were not envisaged or visible at the outset. Such pivots or growth momentum of organizations in unexpected directions may call for different talent mix, or the firm may need to retrain or retrench some of the original team. This has its own share of pain.
Attrition, people-growth aspirations, lack of processes, lack of transparency, groupism, cultural conflicts and lack of a way to deal with disagreements all pose additional challenges. Further, the founder may be torn between delegation and attention to detail and may need to walk a thin line.
As is evident from the above, these are but a few challenges that the organization’s leadership needs to deal with in a rapidly changing internal environment accentuated further by competition attacks or environmental jolts.
There are various strategies to deal with this situation. Onboarding experienced HR talent ahead of the growth curve can be one strategy. Companies which cannot afford this can opt to access HR Consultants or Organization Development / Change Management experts on an as-needed basis. A process centric or system driven option which stabilizes HR operations can be an added stabilization factor.
However, ignoring these kinds of issues of the early growth stage may result in multiple pitfalls and a threat to the business growth itself.
