The Startups. Ability to be organized, communication and self awareness - Assignment Example

? WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2 WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 2 Introduction Organizations are generally inanimate ventures but technically, they are supposed to possess animate characteristics and features that are judged by the characteristics and features of the people that ran them (Benzing, Chu & Callanan, 2005). It is therefore very common for a person to make remarks like a slow business, a fast growing business, a visionary organization, and the likes. One of the commonest animate expectations of organizations and business is what has been referred to in management as organizational traits and characteristics. These organizational traits and characteristics have been found to be very important in the organization, growth and development of businesses. Indeed, as much as it is important for organizations to possess organizational traits and characteristics during all aspects of the growth cycle, one stage of growth that this these organizational traits and characteristics affect organizations most is at the early and startup stages (Goedhuys & Sleuwaegen, 2009). Generally, the organization’s traits and characteristics can make or unmake its subsequent growth fortunes. In this paper, four important organizational traits and characteristics that can help the new business in Brazil growth and succeed in the competitive market are discussed. Ability to be organized The startup company assumes the description and name of an ‘organization’ perhaps because it is expected to be well organized. By organization, reference is being made to the ability of all structures within the organization to be well laid and accurately assigned. The structures of the organization would best be described as the various responsibilities that are expected to be delivered within the organization and the people who are expected to deliver them (Batjargal, 2006). For startup companies, managers and entrepreneurs should have the ability of knowing all the roles that are expected to be played within the organization and the people who can best play these roles if assigned to. Another component and aspect of ability to organize has also been identified to be the organization of organizational needs. Generally, it is when the needs of the organization are well organized that the best structural organizations needed to bring about the achievement of the needs will be identified (Capelleras et al, 2010). As to how this trait and characteristic of ability to be organized is more likely to bring about success, it will be said that without a good organizational skill, it is likely no one would be comfortable doing business with the new company. This is because in order for investors and other stakeholders to trust their affairs with an organization, they must have a level of guarantee that the organization itself is well organized. As the maxim goes, a blind man cannot lead a blind man. Effective communication with people around Communication is an important aspect of startup companies. It has been said that entrepreneurs and investors who start up businesses newly must be in the position to effectively communicate with those around (Benzing, Chu & Callanan, 2005). Generally, the ability to effectively communicate the visions, needs, dreams, and ideas of the new business to people around represents the degree to which the visions, needs, dreams, and ideas will be supported by those around. Meanwhile, no single person is able to singlehandedly man any serious organization into growth and supported. It is therefore important that entrepreneurs will have the capacity of rightly communicating to others to gain support. It must be noted that support for an organization’s growth and development comes in many different forms including financial, logistics, and human resource. Even in cases where the head of the business is not able to rightly let his human resource base know what is expected of them in the growth and development of the company, the human resource will not be empowered much enough to do the right things (Le & Nguyen, 2009). It most also be noted that communication plays a very important role in motivating employees and that motivation brings about employee satisfaction, which in turn brings about organizational succeed for new companies. But as much as the productive aspect of communication, which is speaking is important, it is also good to note that the receptive aspect of communication, which is listening must also be effective. Owners of the new business must be ready listen to advice and criticism from all well meaning quarters (Batjargal, 2006). Making mistakes and learning from them It is common knowledge that all humans are fallible. To this end, entrepreneurs are advised to possess the characteristic trait of accepting that they can also make mistakes. By this, it should be possible for an entire organizational trait and characteristic to exist as ability to make mistakes. This does not however mean that the act of making mistakes must be pleasurable to startup organizations. What should be the focus is the admission that mistakes can come about. The reason this trait is important is that with a refusal to admit that there can be mistakes, it is really going to be difficult for organizations to be open up to criticisms and corrections (Le & Nguyen, 2009). The ability to make mistakes must therefore be made to flow directly with the ability to learn from mistakes. What is important is that making mistakes really help us to identify what we should not repeat in the next time round. It also gives us an idea of what to do differently in the next time round. Making mistakes without a sense of correction and learning is therefore not a good mark of a startup organization that wants to succeed. One other reason this trait is important at the startup stage is that at the startup stage, the entrepreneur is very new to the market and its behavior. In effect, a lot of mistakes in the bid to become competitive will be made at the initial stages. Learning at the early stage will therefore consolidate the business for success right at the initial stages so that this consolidation will be transformed into future growth. Self awareness It is often said that if you do not know where you are coming from, you never know where you are going. This means that self identity is very important for any meaningful goals to be accomplished. For startup businesses also, it is important that they know where they are coming from so that they will know where they are going. It is for this reason that it is admonished for startup companies to have a sense of self awareness. This self awareness has the mandate of helping the companies to clearly define their needs, mission and vision. A sense of self awareness has also been explained to include the need to clearly identify the strengths and weaknesses of the business. Commonly, this has been recommended to be done by use of a simple SWOT analysis that analyses the strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization. With these four elements found, the company will then be in a position to trying to maintain its strengths, building on its weaknesses, taking advantage of its opportunities, and strategizing to avoid the threats. Conclusion Very important factors and points for organizational growth have been discussed above. Generally, it is important to reiterate the fact that these organizational traits and characteristics cannot be put up by the organizations themselves because the organizations are generally inanimate. To make the organizational traits and characteristics visible in the organization, the people running the organization must be ready to put their houses in order in ensuring that they are seen possessing and exhibiting these traits and characteristics. Key among these organizational players must be the entrepreneur and other managers within the organization who will be mandated to be responsible for the day to day running of the organization. This means that the human resource base of the organization is responsible for making the organizational traits and characteristics that have been described above. Again, it will be concluded that in the implementation and utilization of the organizational traits and characteristics, each of the four traits and characteristics must be considered in the highest esteem and with all the importance needed. References Batjargal, B. (2006) ‘The dynamics of entrepreneurs’ networks in a transitioning economy: the case of Russia’, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 18 (4), pp.305-320, [Online]. Available from: http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/lpu?title=Entrepreneurship +%26+Regional+Development&volume=18&issue=4&spage=305&date=(Accessed: 19 October 2010). Benzing, C., Chu, H.M. & Callanan, G. (2005) ‘A regional comparison of the motivation and problems of Vietnamese entrepreneurs’, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 10 (1), pp.3-27, [Online]. Available from: http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/lpu?title=Journal+of+Deve lopmental+Entrepreneurship&volume=10&issue=1&spage=3&date=2005 (Accessed: 19 October 2010). Capelleras, J-L., Greene, F.J., Kantis, H. & Rabetino, R. (2010) ‘Venture creation speed and subsequent growth: evidence from South America’, Journal of Small Business Management, 48 (3), pp.302-324, [Online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/10.1111/j.1540- 627X.2010.00296.x (Accessed: 19 October 2010). Goedhuys, M. & Sleuwaegen, L. (2009) ‘High-growth entrepreneurial firms in Africa: a quantile regression approach’, Small Business Economics, 34 (1), pp.31-51, [Online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/10.1007/s11187-009-9193-7 (Accessed: October 2010). Le, N.T.B. & Nguyen, T.V. (2009) ‘The impact of networking on bank financing: the case of small and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam’, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 33 (4), pp.867-887, [Online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2009.00330.x (Accessed: 19 October 2010). Read More