Over the ages, the workplace has changed a lot, sometimes in big, revolutionary ways, to fit the times in terms of history, politics, and society. In every way, the workplace has become more casual over the last 20 years. In contrast to the rigid and hierarchically rigid businesses of most of the 20th century, the 21st century has seen the rise of the “startup” concept in how businesses are run. This has made it hard for business owners and managers to decide whether a tight or loose company culture would work best for them.
This question doesn’t have a single right answer, as is so often the case. Tight or loose company cultures both have pros and cons that depend on the specifics of the case.
Keeping the ship tight
There are many good things about keeping things tight . One example of this is that there isn’t much waste in a company where everyone knows their job and the order is clear. This means that everyone knows what they need to do and who they need to answer to.
Another good thing about running a tight group is that it makes people feel very accountable. There is never a problem with figuring out who is to blame for a mistake in a company where everyone has a clear role. People are more careful, and mistakes happen less often when no one is in charge.
Employee policies are also clearly spelled out in a company with a strong company culture. This means that unclear rules and laws don’t get in the way of the business’s daily operations or growth.
But there are also bad things about having a tight company mindset. For example, it’s hard to deal with problems that have never happened before when people are too set on doing things a certain way. What this means is that the employees aren’t ready to handle the unexpected because their training and practice don’t prepare them for it.
Also, a company that is very tightly run is not exactly the best place for new ideas to grow. When people are forced to do the same old thing over and over again, it’s hard for them to think of new things. People with real new ideas are more likely to leave a company with a lot of red tape than to work through miles of it to get their ideas heard.
Lastly, a tightly run company isn’t always seen as a great place to work, especially if employees have to defend and explain every choice they make.
Not Tightening It Up
Keep things open and let people act like adults. This way, they can reach their goals without being micromanaged to death.
It’s more likely that a company that takes things less seriously will be a nice place to work. That is, if no one bothers you every time you’re late or every day you choose to work from home, you are more likely to be at ease and do your best. Remember that adults are not kids, and if you treat your workers with respect, they will do the same for you.
Also, innovation is more likely to happen in this kind of business because people are free to solve problems in their own unique ways instead of following a script. Also, middle management in this kind of business is told to look for and praise innovation.
Loosely managed companies will also be better prepared for problems that come up out of the blue because they will be used to finding new ways to solve them. It’s not likely that everything that is different from how things are usually done will truly amaze them.
Loosely-run businesses have their own set of troubles, which is a shame. For instance, these kinds of businesses often waste resources and work hours. When people don’t have a clear process in front of them, they can get sidetracked by things that aren’t important, which leads to less output than planned.
In these kinds of businesses, there is also often a lack of accountability, where both workers and managers try to avoid taking responsibility for problems. It might be hard to scold and punish workers who don’t do their jobs when this happens.
In these freely run businesses, it’s also hard to find new employees. To be more specific, people’s responsibilities tend to grow when they don’t have clear jobs. When this happens, losing an employee is more than just losing someone who does a certain job.
Like most of the time, the best thing to do is usually find a balance between tight or loose. Structure will help most workers. But they shouldn’t feel like they’re working in a mill from the 1800s where every move is being watched and written down.
