DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

The Necessity of Startup Cultures Enhancement in a Competitive Business Environment

  • CHUN, Sung-Gil (Department of Management of Technology, Graduate School of Konkuk University) ;
  • LEE, Cheol-Gyu (Department of Advanced Industry Fusion, Graduate School of Konkuk University)
  • 투고 : 2021.07.31
  • 심사 : 2021.09.05
  • 발행 : 2021.09.30

초록

Purpose: To thrive a competitive advantage in the highly competitive global market, a company must establish a strong startup culture, which creates a workplace environment that values innovation and creativity in solving business-related problems. This study investigates the importance of enhancing startup culture in a competitive environment to improve organizational performance, production and hence produce higher returns. Research design, data and methodology: We conducted the qualitative content analysis and its steps seek to ensure that the researcher adheres to a systematic analysis of the data. The method is used for subjective examination of content in any text data and the five steps minimize cases of errors or repetition in used content. Results: Our investigation based on previous literature resources indicates that leading strategies and creating a pleasant working environment are vital behaviors that companies should consider adopting and implementing to achieve a beneficial startup culture full of productivity and massive returns. Conclusion: This research aimed to discuss the necessity of startup culture's enhancement for for-profit companies and found that the adoption of a startup culture in a company is critical to its success. It is vital to building a solid startup culture to grow and gain a competitive advantage in the highly competitive business world.

키워드

1. Introduction

Adoption of startup culture in an organization is a vital aspect of its success. To thrive well and achieve a competitive advantage in the highly competitive global market, a company must establish a strong startup culture. Startup culture creates a workplace environment that values innovation and creativity in solving business-related problems. It encourages open communication where everyone has equal, transparent chances to access and share knowledgeable communication resources and tools to provide quality services (Todeschini, Cortimiglia, Callegaro-de-Menezes, & Ghezzi, 2017). This culture creates an organizational design with a few or nil hierarchy of middle-level management between employees and directors. A flat organizational structure enhances each employee's responsibility within the firm and eliminates unneeded levels of management to improve collaboration and communication. When there are fewer tiers between employees, their decision-making is facilitated. The lack of a need for middle management boosts the institution's budget.

Its culture heavily influences every institution's success. To achieve the corporation's long- and short-term strategic plans, purpose, and targets, it should cultivate and embrace a culture that supports its employees to collaborate to avoid in-process and operational efficiency errors that can harm a company's image and confidence in the eyes of society (Doppelt & McDonough, 2017). Because the quality of goods and services given determines an entity's efficiency, any firm should assess and enhance its culture by focusing on action points, creating policies and standards, and providing staff training on tactics and approaches to improve overall organizational performance. In a business environment, startup culture is significant because it considers the personalities and interests of the people that make up the institution's crew (Wagemans, Witschge, & Deuze, 2016). Furthermore, startup cultures frequently have a better work-life balance and greater flexibility than corporate cultures because people come first. Flexibility ensures employees live a complete work-life by balancing work and social activities. This means that as long as they are willing to give their best output to the entity, they can also do other activities. The strategy empowers workers to perform their tasks to satisfaction without getting fatigued, improving their productivity and increasing their competitive advantage.

The people who work at a firm shape its culture to a considerable extent. Companies with a strong sales force are likely to have a more customer-focused and outgoing culture than one with a preponderance of introverted personnel (Gravett & Caldwell, 2016). In a company with uncertain or distrustful personnel, a politicized or even toxic culture will emerge. If the team despises disagreement, the culture will most likely be indecisive and passive-aggressive. Experienced personnel will rely on well-established best practices, but youthful employees will tackle problems based on intuition and extrapolation from fundamental concepts. The culture of a startup is shaped by its leaders, starting with the co-founders.

The management creates an organizational chart, and also the support staff is assembled. They are the ones who decide who is rewarded and promoted within a firm. Their actions establish an example for the rest of the team, and the rest of the group follows suit, having a significant impact on a company. In terms of corporate culture, this study will investigate the importance of enhancing startup culture in a competitive business environment to improve organizational performance, production and hence produce higher returns.

The study seeks to investigate the necessity of startup culture enhancement in a competitive business environment. The purpose of the study is to create a strong startup culture model by investigating the requisite factors. The bottom line is that these factors if effectively enhanced can lead to high levels of innovation thus competitiveness among rivals. Business startups are faced with a myriad of challenges in a competitive business environment. Most studies are focused on studying the factors necessary for building startup cultures in the competitive business environment; however, a few have focused on how these requisite factors can be enhanced. Culture enhancement refers to improving the quality and value of a factor. Establishing values, modeling from the top, transparency, appropriate recruitment, and developing a conducive work environment are things, but doing them the right way is what makes the difference.

2. Literature Review

The literature review showcases previous findings on the topic. The literature shows that entrepreneurial and organizational culture is critical in evaluating and researching this technologically advanced era. Entrepreneurial culture is anchored on the attitudes, abilities, and values of employees in an organization. Previous studies offer a foundation for this study by outlining the different ways of strengthening start-up culture. The study gets a rich insight on the role of organizational values, leadership, hiring and recruitment, communication and workplace environment on business competitiveness. The study goes a step further to research how these five factors can be enhanced or improved for better results. What is missing in the previous studies is the quality of the factors, such as what differentiates an effective hiring process from an ineffective one. The study seeks to find these specific elements for each of the five factors to develop an effective model, for example, what entails an appropriate recruitment process.

Every organization is fast to qualify job applicants based on experience but is the recruit compatible with company culture and values. Leaders are at the forefront directing employees towards organization goals, but what makes some leaders more effective than others. What is the difference between a leader who walks the talk and emotionally connects with company culture and one who says without so much action? The study seeks to find what entails effective communication and transparency. Does it make a difference to communicate simply and directly? Does communicating accompanied by positive body language improve the delivery of the message? Does using multiple channels of passing the message ensure proper reinforcement? Among others. Finally, the study seeks to research best practices as pertains to the workplace environment. The quality of the job environment, both physical and emotional, determines the performance of organizations.

The prior study found that entrepreneurial and organizational culture is an important area to evaluate and research this technologically advanced era (Danish, Asghar, Ahmad, & Ali, 2019). In business, entrepreneurial culture includes attitudes, abilities, values and authority employees in an organization possess influencing the success of that particular business. The study sought to examine what affects culture in an organization emphasizing business flexibility to change and self-efficacy (individual perception to keep up with skills and vital capabilities). Extraordinary levels of personal efficacy are accomplished via recurring performance achievements and dealing with troubles and challenges through hard work and focus (Katzenbach & Smith, 2015). The study analyses various aspects of self-efficacy in task performance and concluded that individuals have high self-efficacy in one field and low in another. The culture that an organization or a businessperson develops plays an essential role as culture is directly related to creativity and innovativeness. An entrepreneur in the performance of introducer roles has a central duty to advance and enhance creativity within all aspects of a business.

Startup cultures, invention, and innovation all have a good association. Assessing the businessman's intrinsic traits and minority ethnic business, as well as the investor's cultural components, is highly recommended (Stephens, Butler, Garg, & Gibson, 2019). Education, dialect, and religion all have a role in the development of entrepreneurial skills and the entrepreneur's ability to survive in the commercial environment by increasing firm performance, productivity, and returns. This culture is the sole reason why there are new entrants in the business environment posing competition to dominating firms due to its innovation aspect. According to research, the most obvious reason to venture into a new business is the chance to innovate and grow. Growth makes the company generate returns and relies on creativity displayed by a businessman or an investor. Startup culture is an innovative culture a business adopts to shape its organizational structure. Management Control System as a Package in Growing Startups., design and operations where employees create and enacts new ideas at the workplace and overturn their interests to focus on organizational goals and objectives for overall company success. The level of startup culture in an entity is measured through business innovativeness.

The prior study (Lazarova, Punjab, & Mannasseh, 2020) on developing corporate culture and improving productivity in a startup business, found a difference between a startup and organizational culture. When it comes to establishing a startup's corporate culture, there are certain peculiarities. This process involves a clear company strategy, the definition of short-term goals, and identifying employees who can help have a similar mentality and cultural fit in an organization. The recruitment process also plays a vital role in getting the most qualified employees with significant expertise to foster a positive, innovative and supportive culture in a business (Mazzei, Flynn, & Haynie, 2016). The study denoted that organizational culture among the vital aspects that determines the success of a business. A company with a well-outlined culture thrives well than an entity without a defined culture. Corporate culture is correlated to customs, values, beliefs and the effects of entities variables on an employee. In business literature, the terms organizational culture and climate have been used as substitutes. This study believes that there is still a gap in the definitions because the organizational climate is linked to employees' emotional state and perceptions of their well-being in the workplace. Startup culture is distinct from the established corporate culture in developed entities. Due to the limited scale of startups than most important businesses and the fact that everyone has a say on the broader culture, the startup environment captures the members' attitudes and passions. Simultaneously, startups often value their employees due to the desire to grow and hire the best individuals; however, this is not the case with larger organizations. As a result, firms enjoy a better work-life balance and can offer more advantages to their employees.

There is always a form of business culture in any starting company, regardless of efforts or activities undertaken. This research work shows that many strati start as a small team, focused on creating and developing products and attracting and keeping clients. Founders are frequently focused on cash flows and results, but its culture is one of the most critical determinants in its success. Employees in startups have a multitasking mindset and are willing to go above and beyond to achieve the company's objectives (Lewrick, Link, & Leifer, 2018). This research also found that the culture in an entity should be revised and updated as the company grows. Startups are famous because of their ability to make drastic changes in a short period (Kuckertz, Brändle, Gaudig, Hinderer, Reyes, Prochotta, & Berger, 2020). Those organizations' structures are often flat, but part of their growth involves creating a more solid and business design. The study recommended that the company culture should blend the owners' shared vision and the way businesses operate.

The prior study of (Kwiatkowski & Miriam, 2016) about features of startup culture in perspective to corporate culture model, found that corporate culture impacts critical aspects of company performance, such as Leadership and innovation, and has a significant influence on whether or not a company will obtain a competitive edge. Numerous examples of strong startup enterprises appear to be "disrupting the lucrative business models of wellestablished brick-and-mortar companies.‖ (Williamson & De Meyer, 2020). They do so by taking a business approach that isn't only about innovation and finding solutions to problems that don't yet exist. As a result, giant corporations find it difficult to keep up with market transformations swiftly and affordably enough to compete with startups. Therefore they study the operations of small businesses for inspiration. According to the research, one of the essential roles of a startup leader is to create a vision for the firm to boost employee motivation and quality of work. A clear vision allows all employees to understand what the organization is striving to accomplish, resulting in the workforce sharing common goals (Colbert, Yee, & George, 2016). Although persuading other managers and employees to support new aims and ideas is not always easy, a leader must regularly explain the benefits of upcoming changes so that everyone is better prepared to handle future difficulties and new challenges (Bryson, Crosby, & Stone, 2015). Startup culture has already been understood as a collection of mutual basic assumptions which a company has learned as it solves problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and that has conclusively demonstrated to be legitimate to be trained to new employees as the appropriate key to understanding, think, and believe about those issues. (Oplinger, Lande, Jordan, & Camarena, 2016).

The management of the flow of information in startup culture is relevant as it emphasizes the need for a free flow of information in a dynamic environment. Several startups have adopted the practice of holding walk-in meetings as part of their business development strategy. This concept involves hosting meetings in an open location with no doors, encouraging passers-by to join in and participate spontaneously. Although the sessions are scheduled for specific divisions and pertain to specific areas of interest, anyone can attend and learn about their colleagues' work and contribute some fascinating comments from a different perspective stimulating innovation. The study concluded that to get used to new market opportunities, startups must make rapid modifications and adjustments to increase output, generating more returns.

The literature review on startup culture enhancement in profit companies has several gaps. It only focused on two impacting factors that are open to change and self-efficacy, thus creating a need for future researchers to investigate other variables concerning personality, workplace and innovation.

3. Research Design

Qualitative content analysis (QCA) is a research method used to analyze qualitative data (Baxter, 2018). The research method is used for subjective examination of content in any text data through systematic categorization by coding and highlighting the patterns and themes used in the data under study. The data used by researchers can either be qualitative or quantitative (Baxter, 2018). Unlike quantitative data, the qualitative data type is non-numerical (Questionpro, 2021). It's the kind of information obtained from observations, focus groups, and face-to-face methods. The data only explains qualities and characteristics in narrative form, giving approximates without using specific figures (Questionpro, 2021).

Therefore, QCA seeks to scrutinize large amounts of verbal data that are under investigation. Most times, it seeks to offer the possible categories into which the data can be quantified. Most researchers refer to QCA as hermeneutic analysis, and it is also commonly referred to as textual analysis. QCA is textual because it strives to analyze closely related terminology critically. It brings out the thin line between epistemological and ontological elements in any given qualitative data. QCA as a research method is not entirely focused on counting words but aims at obtaining factual content to establish specific patterns, themes and extract meanings. Thus, the method helps researchers to study social reality in a subjective dimension though scientifically.

OTGHCA_2021_v12n9_19_f0001.png 이미지

Figure 1: Main Components of Content Approach

The evaluation is possible because QCA emphasizes the themes that have a meaning on the phenomenon rather than the statistical importance of the various content and concepts. Furthermore, the research methodology focuses on the people involved in creating the message under study (Crosley, 2021). Taking note of the message creators creates power relations in finding answers to any arising questions during the study. It also makes the message's intention be known to the participants, which would have been otherwise difficult to establish without putting them into close considerations.

Moreover, QCA requires highly skilled scientists who focus on developing a theory other than just testing the theory's reliability (Hong, 2021; Crosley, 2021; Woo, 2021). Theory development is induction that means researchers begin from specific observations and measures, which is the raw data that has not been subjected to the manipulation of any kind. The raw data helps them make broader patterns and clear generalizations (Nantharath, Laochankham, Kamnuasilpa, & Kang, 2020). The approach is different from theory deduction used in quantitative content analysis, where the scientists work with general observations to deduce more specific observations (Kang & Hwang, 2018).

QCA is helpful to researchers because it helps them find out the aim, goal, and effect of any studied communication content. Also, it aids the scientists researching in making interpretations about the producers and the audience of the message being evaluated. Researchers can make qualitative conclusions after carefully examining the meaning and semantic relationships between the terms used and the concepts. As a result of the unique nature of the qualitative content analysis, it is primarily used in nursing science research but is also helpful in different areas and is applied in various texts. For example, it is used in media, the marketing world, psychology, cognitive science, and other social sciences. QCA helps people in those fields critically interpret data and systematically and objectively represent it as they describe and quantify the occurrences.

Textual data was obtained the following process. After the present researchers have identified the exact data collection methods, they will use in the QCA; they then draft a strategic plan for implementing the methods. The current researchers stated the definite procedures that are to be followed to achieve the target. The procedure is clearly outlined to aid in making accurate observations on the items that the specialists are interested in. the planning also helps ensure that the procedure that will be followed is operational and will give accurate and effective findings. At this point, the form of questions to be asked for interviews or surveys is decided on. The planning phase is vital as it ensures that the procedure followed uses suitable samples, taking standardized measures for reliability (Woo & Kang, 2020; Seong, 2021).

Moreover, the researchers needed to establish a data management plan. The plan dictates how data acquired will be organized and stored. Data used in QCA is sensitive as it involves delicate information from and by people. The data management plan thus helps secure the information from unauthorized hands and the prevention of loss of the data. In this phase, the actual observation and measurement of various variables occur through the previously identifiedcollection methods. To ensure that the qualitative data obtained is of high quality and systematic, the researchers are supposed to;

• Make sure that they record all the relevant information immediately after it is obtained. No detail is supposed to be left out to avoid estimations and false projections.

• Ensure that they double-check the data once it is recorded. Cross-checking the manual data minimizes the number of errors during the qualitative content analysis.

The qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) used in the study involved 5 steps. The researcher began by selecting the content to be analyzed (Hong, 2021). The researcher had to decide the medium used the criteria for including the content, for example, peer-reviewed journals, and the parameters in terms of the date range or location of the content. In the second step, the author defined both units and categories of analysis. The units have to be defined in terms of coded, while the categories are determined by the chosen texts' objective characteristics (Seong, 2021). The third step was developing a set of coding rules, for example, by organizing the units of meaning into the previously defined categories, especially with more conceptual categories. The fourth step involved coding the texts according to the rules. The researcher went through each text and recorded all the relevant data in the appropriate categories.

The process can be conducted manually or through computer programs. The final step is an analysis of results and conclusions (Woo, 2021). The stage is aimed at finding patterns and drawing conclusions in response to the research question. The researcher is at liberty to apply statistical analysis to establish correlations, trends, and a discussion of the interpretations. The researcher can derive meaning and make inferences about the texts’ creators, context, and audience. The Qualitative content analysis steps seek to ensure that the researcher adheres to a systematic analysis of the data. The five steps minimize cases of errors or repetition in used content.

4. Findings

4.1. Establishing Organization Values That Promote Startup Culture

Companies should develop and adopt mechanisms that promote a startup culture (Wu, Straub, & Liang, 2015). This can be achieved by defining company values as early as possible and discussing them with all stakeholders. An organization should consider what the most important thing to work on to succeed is. It can ask its employees to think and write down the corporate values they believe are relevant to an organization. Leading as an example is the best method to instill values in your employees. Suppose an entity cares about the quality of its items. In that case, it should ask for comprehensive comments from users on how they would like the product to be and setting up feasible standards and allowing workers plenty of time and resources to address quality issues encountered in daily business operations (Brighouse, Ladd, Loeb, & Swift, 2018). For example, exposing the entire company to hours of usability testing ensures that everyone is exposed to how people interact with the firm's product, resulting in a greater understanding of the user experience and guaranteeing that the company produces a high-quality product. This holds everyone in an organization accountable for the quality of its products, including management, stakeholders, employees, and product users, and this is how a company develops a startup culture that prioritizes quality.

Early in your company's existence, developing corporate principles can have a long-term and good impact on your organization and culture, and it's easier to make and take drastic change decisions. At the same time, your staff is small (Alves & Alves, 2015). After all, steering a speedboat is considerably more straightforward as compared to a onethousand-person cruise liner. As a company grows, it is automatic for the work team to develop too. It may become more challenging to achieve a consensus on what your company's values should be designed. Organizational values improve a corporate image in the public's eyes as core values create company’s identity (Zameer, Tara, Kausar, & Mohsin, 2015). This will attract innovative and creative employees and attract new and retain existing clients enabling a company to thrive through increased productivity and returns.

4.2. Modelling Culture from the Top

It's easy for firms to pat themselves on the back once culture-focused policies are in place and feedback is positive, and then forget about it. On the other hand, a motivating workplace necessitates ongoing effort (Ali & Anwar, 2021). Employees, and even recruits, can sense if a company's culture is genuine or not. For the success and realization of startup culture, Leadership must demonstrate and develop ideal behaviors and culture in their day-to-day activities to sustain a positive and engaging workplace (Blomme, Kodden, & Beasley-Suffolk, 2015). The company's leadership team should work in the open, thus welcoming a set with no private offices or cubes. This gives them time to talk to every employee in an organization, regardless of their position. This strategy allows managers to get direct feedback from all organizational procedures and operations since they must admit when things go wrong and offer timely solutions encouraging the development of a startup culture focused on resolving resolutions.

When combined with a company's beliefs, leadership practices will guide an entity's activities in creating an authentic, engaging, and respectful startup culture. Any firm, new or old, can construct a culture that will attract, retain, and motivate employees by integrating a mix of where you came from with where you're heading (Shapiro & Naughton, (2015). By enhancing startup culture, a firm can create an environment where employees are motivated to improve their capabilities and ingenuity, which will lead to the development of new technologies and the creation of the future they want to be in. Work is made more accessible, productivity is improved, and more profits are generated due to technological innovation (Akinwale, Adepoju, & Olomu, 2017).

4.3. Transparency of Communicating with Employees

In organizational planning, communication is vital, especially when an adjustment in an entity's operational structure is involved (Suomalainen, Kuusela, & Tihinen, 2015). Before proposing a change in an organization, a detailed overview of its relevance should be done. It's also vital to explain how it affects different sectors and how to deal with the consequences. The administration should be open and provide essential information before the commencement of the anticipated change, as this will lessen employee resistance (Komodromos, Halkias, & Harkiolakis, 2019). Being open and honest about a change will not make employees skeptical of the adjustments goals but instead, encourage them to acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of the shift and chart a course forward. Workers' thoughts and ideas should also be considered when a company communicates with them.

When communicating with employees, a business should be clear and upfront to foster a startup culture. Employees want to know if the company is expanding, what kind of work will be recognized, and a career path available to them. Even if the news is negative, you should communicate appropriately with your team and explain what is happening at the workplace (Killian & McManus, 2015). Managers should set aside time to listen to all workers concerns and do their best to resolve them for the company's overall success. A corporation should maintain an open line of contact with its employees and solicit input as needed. Regular one-on-one meetings with your staff will help you create a vibrant workplace culture where everyone's voice is heard. As the organization expands, team leaders should have one-on-one sessions with their team members to improve operations. This will enhance innovation and teamwork that will help a business achieve a competitive advantage.

4.4. Recruit Accordingly

To enhance startup culture and improve work performance in an organization, an entity should take time to hire the right person for a specific task that matches his skills, values and capabilities. A company should not recruit someone just based on their impressive résumé. It should consider whether or not this individual would be a suitable fit for a company's culture. Taking someone out to lunch or asking them to spend time with your present staff is the best method to determine if they will fit into an entity organizational culture (Nordlof et al., 2015). As you study how this person responds in a casual setting, you will make a more accurate assessment. Organizations will occasionally hire people for a day or a week to work with one of their teams. The team members are then asked if they would be willing to work with that person permanently. Even if they say yes, a leader may decide not to recruit a person if he believes he is not a suitable fit.

An organization should also avoid hiring the same person over and over again. Instead, look for variety. Your team will be less innovative and flexible if it lacks diversity (Chin, Li, Jiao, Addo, & Jawahar, 2019). Bringing in other perspectives and backgrounds to your firm will help you understand your clients from various angles, which can open up new markets and avenues for your products. Therefore, the hiring process highly influences startup culture development, a philosophy that creates a workplace environment that values innovation and creativity in solving business-related problems (Baldassarre, Calabretta, Bocken, & Jaskiewicz, 2017). This culture spurs organizational development and performance, increasing profitability.

4.5. Creating a Conducive Working Environment

To develop a startup culture, an organization should build a pleasant working space with refreshments for its employees (Waters-Lynch & Potts, 2017). This will enhance their motivation and productivity while also allowing them to enjoy their time at work. It also demonstrates to employees that taking breaks is not only acceptable but somewhat encouraged. Currently, everyone wants to work in a relaxed environment (Pandita & Singhal, 2017). Having a beautiful location for your staff to rest in when they need to take a break is crucial. Employees that work more and stay put for longer will benefit your firm.

Leading from the front looks to be hierarchical, but leading from the back appears to be punishing. Coaches and mentors guide the sidelines (Kouzes & Posner, 2018). They serve as role models for personal behavior and demonstrate winning strategies. They congratulate loudly while reprimanding quietly. For a company to enhance its startup culture, its leaders should lead from the side. Entrepreneurs start both businesses and their cultures. The founders should define the objectives and the ideals that must be adhered to. So, the tone and attitude that distinguishes the company as promising and valuable are set by what and how you express that scenario as a business leader and creator. How and who you hire, where you deploy skills, and how you plan succession are influenced by a company's culture. A company requires people who can suit both the vision and the function; people who understand both the mission and the process for its success (Jabbar & Hussein, 2017). Therefore, leading strategies and creating a pleasant working environment are vital behaviors that companies should consider adopting and implementing to achieve a beneficial startup culture full of productivity and massive returns.

The creation and communication of meaningful values help to enhance the model. Communicating the values is not enough; rather, they must be associated with certain behavior. This allows employees to understand what is expected, thus reducing uncertainties and ensuring harmony on how things should be done (Pilukienė, 2017). The values must also be exercised across the board, from the most junior employee to the most senior.

4.6. Summary of the Results

Hiring appropriately refers to asking the right questions when employing people. It is recommended that employees be hired not based on their experience but their ability to fit with the company values and organizational culture. It is recommended that the interviewing panel design questions around company core values to understand how the candidate will contribute to their job and organizational culture. It is recommended that the interview uses a behavioral-interview approach where candidates engage in an activity as part of the interview process (Li, Wilbarger, & St Louis, 2017). The goal is to push the candidate out of their comfort zone and offer an opportunity to evaluate their behavior instead of just asking questions.

Being transparent with employees is not about the quantity of the communication being used but rather its quality. Enhancing employee transparency through communication involves improving the quality of information; for example, it must be simple and to the point (Wells & Walker, 2016). Leaders need to give accurate information without hiding anything. Full disclosure is a show of trust on employees, a development that create a sense of value and belonging (Yue, Men, & Ferguson, 2019). The communication must be accompanied by effective body language and tonal variation to ensure the timing and setting are right. The managers should also use multiple channels to pass the message to ensure that it is properly reinforced. Communication is two-way, so it must be understood by all the parties involved.

Start-ups need a set of norms governing their operations as well as an enforcement mechanism. Employees need to know what is encouraged, discouraged and expected. The norms are supposed to be aligned with personal values, drives and needs of the employees if the start-up was to benefit from the tremendous amount of energy towards a shared purpose and thus drive a company towards competitiveness. Top leaders have a great role in enhancing start-up culture; for example, they must walk the talk (Gardner & Cogliser, 2018). Modeling from the top requires leaders to make the culture personal. Personalizing culture allows the leaders to connect with employees emotionally and rationally, making them an integral part of the improvement process and helps provide ownership of the culture. Finally, culture is an evolving factor whereby it flexibly and autonomously responds to opportunities and demands. The leader at the top has the power to blend their intentions with the knowledge and experiences of their frontline employees.

OTGHCA_2021_v12n9_19_f0002.png 이미지

Figure 2: Enhancement of Startup Culutre

The model is easy to scribe on a piece of paper. What is challenging is how best the business implements the model. The theoretical perspective and literature analysis reveals a critical fact; the model will thrive where organizations focus on quality rather than quantity. The start-ups must focus on the quality of each of the five models and the specific elements involved by carrying out best practices. The five factors are interdependent; for example, the start-up must develop values, but these values need employees who understand and relate. Modeling culture from the top requires leaders who lead from the front and walk their talk; the employees they lead must also align their values, beliefs and attitudes with the start-up culture. The model requires quality human software and one able to drive the start-up towards organization culture. Leaders and employees must be moving in the same direction in a process governed by norms strictly enforced by the organization.

5. Discussion

This research aimed to discuss the necessity of startup culture's enhancement for for-profit companies. The study found that the adoption of a startup culture in a company is critical to its success. It is vital to building a solid startup culture to grow and gain a competitive advantage in the highly competitive business world. Startup culture fosters a work atmosphere that encourages creativity and innovation in the solution of business problems. To increase organizational performance and achieve long and shortterm business strategies, vision, and targets, a corporation should foster and embrace a culture that supports its employees to work harmoniously to reduce errors that can tarnish a company's trust and relationship general public.

There are various mechanisms that a company should adopt to enhance startup culture and improve business overall performance. This included but not limited to; establishing organizational values that promote startup culture, molding the philosophy from top Leadership through honest and transparent communication with workers, cautious and thorough recruitment, and finally creating a pleasant working environment and active Leadership from the side. These approaches help an organization develop a culture that fosters performance.

Startup cultures are significant because they encourage a better work-life balance and more flexibility than corporate cultures. By balancing work and social interests, flexibility allows employees to enjoy an entire work-life. This means that they can do other things as long as they are willing to offer the entity their total effort. This consideration allows personnel to complete activities to their satisfaction without becoming exhausted, enhancing productivity, profitability and competitive advantage.

Business models serve as a blueprint towards success. The greatest companies have their own cultures practiced over the years and amended based on opportunities and demands. Implementation of the above model creates a powerful organizational culture, where both leaders and employees understand the organization's vision, mission, and goals. The model creates an opportunity for innovation and creativity. Depending on the organization and what it does, enhancing the five factors fosters the start-up's innovation activity. An enhanced workplace culture emotionally connects people to the organization's strategic direction and encourages a continuous flow of ideas to support innovation. If the model were to be applied in a technological company, employees would grow and thrive. The adhocracy culture can well be integrated with this fivestep model. The culture is anchored on energy and creativity, whereby employees get encouraged to take risks, and leaders get perceived as innovators and entrepreneurs—the culture advocates for experimentation with a great emphasis on an employee's ingenuity and freedom. The core values are anchored on change and agility. The culture has a principle dubbed move fast and break things- if you are not breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.

6. Implication and Limitation

This research makes numerous practical and theoretical contributions. It is particularly beneficial to enterprises that focus on innovation, with IT firms and the automobile industry being particularly vulnerable. As the founders and custodians of the company culture, this study serves as guidance for entrepreneurs in their actions. Employees should concentrate on practicing and mastering skills to boost their self-efficacy and improve their ability to complete jobs successfully and efficiently. Employees should be supplied with seminars and training sessions to boost their self-efficacy. Employee suggestions should be encouraged, and new ideas should be rewarded to foster a competitive environment in the workplace. Employees should be provided with the opportunity to participate in decision-making to help them achieve their objectives. Employees should be given feedback and reports on their poor or wrong decisions to learn from them. Employees should be given moderate challenges to encourage them to think outside the box and develop their inventiveness, creating a robust and profitable startup culture. Employees' knowledge should be updated because they must be aware of current research in that field. It is critical to understand the startup's organizational purpose. The organization's mission catalyzes future activities and decisions.

Furthermore, all personnel should be informed of these suggestions. According to certain studies, purpose-driven businesses have more engaged and motivated staff boosting productivity. The applicant's cultural and company fit is just as vital as their technical and challenging talents. During the interview, the interviewer should be open and honest about the company's culture, conventions, and values. It's also a good idea to ask the candidate a few questions or clarify the facts they've been given. This method will assist both parties in gaining a better understanding of the organization's characteristics and making sensible decisions regarding their shared destiny. Open communication needs to be developed from the beginning and fostered at all levels and processes of a firm to create a positive corporate culture. Respecting individuals at all levels is a powerful and effective technique for long-term commitment and improved overall organizational performance.

The founders of an entity should set the aims and principles that must be adhered to promote startup culture and organization performance. As a business leader and creator, what and how you portray that scenario sets the tone and attitude that identifies the firm as potential and worthwhile. When combined with a company's principles, leadership practices impact organizational performance and drive an entity's efforts in developing a genuine, engaging, and respectful startup culture. By incorporating a mix of where you came from and where you're going, any company, new or old, can create a culture that will attract, retain, and motivate people. A company can strengthen its startup culture by encouraging employees to increase their capabilities and resourcefulness, resulting in the development of new technologies and creating the future they wish to live in. As a result of technical advancements, work is made more accessible, increased productivity, and profits are increased.

There are several limits to this study, as there are many other aspects and causes that influence startup culture, and we just explored two of them in this study: self-efficacy and openness to change. Researchers can employ different data gathering methods (qualitative approaches) in future studies and other variables related to personality and environment to quantify and analyze startup culture. This study demonstrates the necessity of doing a qualitative investigation of startup culture in academic research. It provides answers to the "how" and "why" queries and more profound knowledge of experiences, events, and context. Qualitative research helps you to investigate challenging questions concerning the human experience. Given the broadness of the research question to startup culture, complexity, and time constraints as we have to meet deadlines and turn in our research on time, this has negatively impacted the study as I have not explored the investigation to the optimum. This research, although very important, should be taken as a basis for future, more resourceful and innovative studies that have imposed extensive analysis models.

I'm hoping that these constraints will spur more comprehensive and diverse research. In addition, future researchers have the option of explaining cultural and social-economic, generational or occupational specificities of these discourses and career identities to startup cultures, or they can conduct the following kevel discourse analysis to gain deeper insights on this topic.

참고문헌

  1. Akinwale, Y. O., Adepoju, A. O., & Olomu, M. O. (2017). The impact of technological innovation on SME's profitability in Nigeria. International Journal of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation, 1(1), 74-92.
  2. Ali, BJ, & Anwar, G.(2021). An Empirical Study of Employees' Motivation and its Influence Job Satisfaction. International Journal of Engineering, Business and Management, 5(2), 21-30.
  3. Alves, J. R. X., & Alves, J. M. (2015). Production management model integrating the principles of lean manufacturing and sustainability supported by the cultural transformation of a company. International Journal of Production Research, 53(17), 5320-5333. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2015.1033032
  4. Baldassarre, B., Calabretta, G., Bocken, N. M. P., & Jaskiewicz, T. (2017). Bridging sustainable business model innovation and user-driven innovation: A process for sustainable value proposition design. Journal of cleaner production, 147(March), 175-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.01.081
  5. Blomme, R. J., Kodden, B., & Beasley-Suffolk, A. (2015). Leadership theories and the concept of work engagement: Creating a conceptual framework for management implications and research. Journal of Management & Organization, 21(2), 125-144. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2014.71
  6. Brighouse, H., Ladd, H. F., Loeb, S., & Swift, A. (2018). Educational goods: Values, evidence, and decision-making. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  7. Bryson, J. M., Crosby, B. C., & Stone, M. M. (2015). Designing and implementing cross-sector collaborations: Needed and challenging. Public administration review, 75(5), 647-663. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12432
  8. Chin, T., Li, G., Jiao, H., Addo, F., & Jawahar, I. M. (2019). Career sustainability during manufacturing innovation: a review, a conceptual framework and future research agenda. Career Development International, 24(6), 509-528. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-02-2019-0034
  9. Colbert, A., Yee, N., & George, G. (2016). The digital workforce and the workplace of the future. Academy of Management Journal. 59(3), 731-739. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.4003
  10. Danish, R. Q., Asghar, J., Ahmad, Z., & Ali, H. F. (2019). Factors affecting "entrepreneurial culture": the mediating role of creativity. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 8(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-018-0096-1
  11. Doppelt, B., & McDonough, W. (2017). Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide for business, government and civil society. Oxfordshire, England: Routledge.
  12. Gardner, W., & Cogliser, C. (2018). "Walking the Talk" Alone: Leading and Following Authentically in an Inauthentic World. The Journal of Character & Leadership Development, 5(1), 5031.
  13. Gravett, L. S., & Caldwell, S. A. (2016). Learning agility: The impact on recruitment and retention. New York, NY: Springer.
  14. Hong, J. H. (2021). A Global Strategy of a Company that Uses Culture Content as its Core Business. The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business, 12(6), 37-46. https://doi.org/10.13106/JIDB.2021.VOL12.NO6.37
  15. Jabbar, A. A., & Hussein, A. M. (2017). The role of Leadership in strategic management. International Journal of Research-Granthaalayah, 5(5), 99-106. https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v5.i5.2017.1841
  16. Kang, E., & Hwang, H. J. (2018). Strategic management plan for transnational organizations. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics, and Business, 5(2), 119-128. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2018.vol5.no2.119
  17. Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (2015). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
  18. Killian, G., & McManus, K. (2015). A marketing communications approach for the digital era: Managerial guidelines for social media integration. Business Horizons, 58(5), 539-549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.05.006
  19. Komodromos, M., Halkias, D., & Harkiolakis, N. (2019). Managers' perceptions of trust in the workplace in times of strategic change: The cases of Cyprus, Greece and Romania. EuroMed Journal of Business, 14(1), 2-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-03-2018-0018
  20. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2018). The student leadership challenge: Five practices for becoming an exemplary leader. Toronto, Canada.: John Wiley & Sons.
  21. Kuckertz, A., Brandle, L., Gaudig, A., Hinderer, S., Reyes, C. A. M., Prochotta, A., ... & Berger, E. S. (2020). Startups in times of crisis-A rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 13(June), e00169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2020.e00169
  22. Kwiatkowski, C., & Miriam, P. (2016). Characteristics of the Startup Culture from the perspective of Organizational Culture Model. Czech Journal of Social Sciences Business and Economics, 5(3), 28-37. https://doi.org/10.24984/cjssbe.2016.5.3.3
  23. Lazarova, T., Punjab, K., & Mannasseh, M. (2020). Building Company Culture and Enhancing Productivity In Startup Environment. Economy & Business Journal, 14(1), 59-66.
  24. Lewrick, M., Link, P., & Leifer, L. (2018). The design thinking playbook: Mindful digital transformation of teams, products, services, businesses and ecosystems. Toronto, Canada.: John Wiley & Sons.
  25. Li, K., Wilbarger, J. L., & St Louis, S. (2017). An innovative behavioral interview for pre-admission selection of occupational therapy students. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 1(1), 1-16.
  26. Nantharath, P., Laochankham, S., Kamnuasilpa, P., & Kang, E. (2020). Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in Thailand: A Cross-Region Analysis. International Journal of Financial Research, 11(1), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijfr.v11n1p147
  27. Mazzei, M. J., Flynn, C. B., & Haynie, J. J. (2016). Moving beyond initial success: Promoting innovation in small businesses through high-performance work practices. Business Horizons, 59(1), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.08.004
  28. Oplinger, J., Lande, M., Jordan, S., & Camarena, L. (2016). Making leaders: Leadership characteristics of makers and engineers in the maker community. American Journal of Engineering Education, 7(2), 65-82. https://doi.org/10.19030/ajee.v7i2.9833
  29. Pandita, S., & Singhal, R. (2017). The influence of employee engagement on the work-life balance of employees in the IT sector. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16(1), 38-57.
  30. Pilukiene, L. (2017). Importance of motivation and work pay of young employees in the value creation chain of a business company: assessment of changes in and formation of expectations. Business, management and education, 15(2), 211-226. https://doi.org/10.3846/bme.2017.375
  31. Seong, D. H. (2021). Sports Leadership Theories for Improving Retail Service Quality on Customer Value. Journal of Distribution Science, 19(5), 13-21. https://doi.org/10.15722/JDS.19.5.202105.13
  32. Shapiro, B., & Naughton, M. (2015). The expression of espoused humanizing values in organizational practice: A conceptual framework and case study. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(1), 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1990-x
  33. Stephens, B., Butler, J. S., Garg, R., & Gibson, D. V. (2019). Austin, Boston, Silicon Valley, and New York: Case studies in the location choices of entrepreneurs in maintaining the Technopolis. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 146(September), 267-280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.05.030
  34. Suomalainen, T., Kuusela, R., & Tihinen, M. (2015). Continuous planning: an essential aspect of agile and lean development. International Journal of Agile Systems and Management, 8(2), 132-162. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJASM.2015.070607
  35. Todeschini, B. V., Cortimiglia, M. N., Callegaro-de-Menezes, D., & Ghezzi, A. (2017). Innovative and sustainable business models in the fashion industry: Entrepreneurial drivers, opportunities, and challenges. Business Horizons, 60(6), 759-770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2017.07.003
  36. Wagemans, A., Witschge, T., & Deuze, M. (2016). Ideology as a resource in entrepreneurial journalism: The French online news startup Mediapart. Journalism Practice, 10(2), 160-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2015.1124732
  37. Wells, J. E., & Walker, N. A. (2016). Organizational change and justice: The impact of transparent and ethical leaders. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 9(2), 179-199. https://doi.org/10.1123/jis.2016-0007
  38. Williamson, P. J., & De Meyer, A. (2020). 1. Addressing the Disruption Imperative. In Ecosystem Edge (pp. 1-22). San Francisco, CA: Stanford University Press.
  39. Woo, E. J. (2021). The Relationship between Green Marketing and Firm Reputation: Evidence from Content Analysis. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(4), 455-463.
  40. Woo, E. J., & Kang, E. (2020). Environmental Issues As an Indispensable Aspect of Sustainable Leadership. Sustainability, 12(17), 7014. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177014
  41. Wu, S. P. J., Straub, D. W., & Liang, T. P. (2015). How information technology governance mechanisms and strategic alignment influence organizational performance. MIS Quarterly, 39(2), 497-518. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2015/39.2.10
  42. Yue, C. A., Men, L. R., & Ferguson, M. A. (2019). Bridging transformational leadership, transparent communication, and employee openness to change: The mediating role of trust. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.04.012
  43. Zameer, H., Tara, A., Kausar, U., & Mohsin, A. (2015). Impact of service quality, corporate image and customer satisfaction towards customers' perceived value in the banking sector in Pakistan. International journal of bank marketing, 33(4), 442-456. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-01-2014-0015