What is the difference? If you have yet to do your first placement/internship/job, you probably wouldn’t even dwell on it. As someone who’s been in both environments, I can only tell you that their organisational cultures can be worlds apart. While some people do prefer the corporate culture over a startup culture and vice versa, there are many (like myself) who have no major preference.
The Startup Culture
Today, the youth is being encouraged to be innovative and become the ‘problem solvers’ the generation before never was. That would partly explain the major influx of startups around the world — market gaps are being filled faster now more than ever. That’s definitely great news for the economy: more jobs and better ways to make life easier through platforms like online marketplaces, online cab booking services (Uber, for example), travel booking apps such as Musafir and even apps that show you a list of places to eat nearby, such as Zomato. The startup culture is quite new, which could explain why it’s filled with aspiring (and successful) entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s. That’s why the environment around the office can be dynamic while bursting with ideas and potential, which creates an environment that makes brainstorming easier.
If I had to sum up the startup culture, it’s skills-focused. Regardless of your background, if you can bring something significant and substantial to the table, then it’s all good. Most startups tend to be teams of less than 20 people running the company at the beginning (and this is often after a year or so), which means that almost everyone works beyond his or her job description. It’s a great way to expand your skillset and actually gain initiative to start things. The hierarchy tends to be more "wide" than “tall”, so there’s a very high level of visibility and transparency throughout the company.
Because you do so many things, you end up learning a whole lot more than what you initially expected. That gives you so much more of an edge than people who start off in the corporate culture, skills-wise. You’ve got more to flaunt. And yes — jeans, shirts, hoodies and sneakers. If purely dress code is what sells a company to you, and you like casuals, then you belong in a startup. But don’t be too casual.
The Corporate Culture
The corporate culture is a bit more formal. Companies that have a ‘corporate culture’ are typically those that have been around for a while and are well-established in their respective industries. They have a set of values, beliefs and codes of conduct that are echoed throughout the company, and often, the most visible to the naked eye is their dress code: suits, ties and black leather shoes.
Everything has been laid out and the foundations are strong in corporates. They expect certain values from you as an employee as well as abiding by their code of conduct. It does tend to be monotonous – there’s an approval process, it goes up, budgets need to be approved, etc. But there’s definitely structure, and clearly it’s been successful for them in many cases. Startups work a little differently from this; it’s more of a collaborative effort with projects and major tasks. Although there’s definitely a central figure (such as the CEO or the manager in charge) who everyone has to run things through, there’s at least a certain level of transparency which makes following up an easy task. I imagine that years from now, startups will redefine ‘corporate’ culture as we know it.
Ultimately though, the experience you gain at either types of companies is valuable. Although corporate experience can sometimes make a better impression due to its magnitude, one does not trump the other. There’s a pro and a con to each one and it can depend on what kind of person you really are, what type of career path you’re looking at and the kind of experience you’re seeking. Everything I’ve talked about here is clearly just the tip of the iceberg for both cultures, but it’s a good way to get a general idea of the differences between them — especially if you’re stuck in the middle.
What is your preferred working culture and why? Leave us a note in the comments section below!