I have worked for both private and public organizations.
I have worked in both large and small firms.
I don’t want to get off on a rant here but…
I see very little difference between large firms and government. Once you are only a small part in the process the results are the same. If your contribution to the success of the organization is too small to be seen in the final product, then predictable things start to happen.
You become more concerned with process than with results. All you care about is if the forms are filled in correctly and passed on to the next person in line. You start to forget that the reason for the forms is to achieve an end result not the filling out of forms.
You stop taking reasonable chances. Small organizations measure success based on your overall ratio of success to failure. Large organizations measure success as the lack of failure and mistakes. A failure in a large organization is defined as an improperly filled out form since nobody can measure the contribution of any one individual to the end result. Thus you get a lot of CYA behavior in large organizations. (Not my fault the shuttle blew up. I filled in all the forms correctly.)
On the plus side for large organizations, once you rise above a certain level, to a level where you can see the end result of your efforts in the final product, you can achieve much larger results. A major hydro electrical plant or other large project will not be built by small firms. To be a senior project manager in a large firm could mean you would be responsible for a major project. If you were in government then you could be responsible for policies with national implications.
Unfortunately to rise in large organizations its not merit that gets you to the top but organizational politics and properly filled out forms. Thus in all too many cases senior managers in large organizations really do not understand the nuts and bolts of the technology that they are managing. (They do not have to do the nuts and bolts themselves but do need an understanding of them in order to know what is reasonable and achievable.)
In large part what is best for you depends on your temperament, talents, expectations and personality.
Pick a large organization if the following apply to you.
You want to work 40 hours a week and go home.
You are willing to get your satisfaction in life outside the workplace.
You want stability in the workplace. (This has decreased in recent years)
You are a office politics type. (This is not necessarily bad since office politics are a fact of life and politicians can sometimes achieve some good.)
You are comfortable in making a small contribution to a large project.
Pick a small firm if the following apply to you.
You are self motivated and self driven.
You are self reliant.
You are willing to do anything necessary to met the needs of your project. I don’t mean this in a mercenary manner. After 25 years experience I’ll still make concrete cylinders on a job site, a task often assigned to junior technicians or summer students. Simply because someone has to make them and I might be the only one available. (also its kind of fun to get your hands dirty once in a while or to show up the office snobs who can talk the talk but not walk the walk.) My point here is that nothing is beneath you when its necessary to get the work done.
You want to make a large contribution to smaller projects.
I’ll admit to a strong personal basis towards small organizations. Please do not let my basis overly influence you if you choose large organizations or governments. After all it takes all types and large firms do play an important part in our economy.
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng
Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
