Corporate vs. SME – is it in mind or something more to it

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Many of us, in our lifetimes, have faced dilemmas whose resolution has the potential of changing the course of our lives - one where we are at crossroads and task of picking the best amongst the alternatives in front of us has not been easy.

I am no stranger to this, having faced dilemma on a couple of occasions and the task of making the pick from amongst the alternatives has not been easy. Some typical examples are college vs. course; to marry or not and if yes, with whom; business or service (job) etc…

People are today taking decisions and picking alternatives which by conventional wisdom would qualify for outright rejection. Some typical examples are joining a startup vs. a well established company; picking an alternative career path rather than a well defined time tested path etc… So is the thought process changing? Are people giving weightage to substance and not just the quantity?

I recently took one such decision when I made a career switch from a well known and respected corporate to a SME which is comparatively not as widely known. The weeks and months preceding this decision were the most tumultuous with constant tug of war between the inner voices propelling me to change and rein in the alternative.

On one hand was the brand name, corporate association, respect which comes with working with a well known corporate, the weight which your business card carries, a well structured organization with clearly defined roles & responsibilities and a more than fair probability of recognition amongst a crowd. But then how much of recognition, respect & fame is due to the name of the corporate on your business card will always be a debatable question.

On the other hand, is a SME where the problems present themselves as a sea of opportunities – an unstructured organization waiting to be given shape, no process and procedural delays in taking decisions, roles and responsibilities which have little to do with task at hand but more to do with the breadth & depth of your knowledge and abilities, and above all the opportunity to transform the SME into a corporate.

No doubt, making the choice is tough. But then, what is the halo around the word ‘Corporate’? I tried looking up on the web for some definitions which could aptly define this word. All I could reference for this word was the sheer size of the company. I would like to take liberty to add some more adjectives and verbs apart from sheer size – respect, integrity in operations, leadership of thought & work and conscience.

If so is the case, then isn’t SME a couple of steps away from becoming a Corporate or is there something more to it? Would love to hear from those reading this post…
 

By: Sumit Singh
Dated: 15th June, 2013

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