The Fascinating Pros and Cons of Working in a Small Team

Are you on the fence about accepting a job offer in a small team? Working in a small organization may not appeal to all, but I definitely think it has some perks, especially if you’re keen on acquiring more relevant experiences and exposure in your chosen field. The downsides are considerable, too, but it’s a matter of knowing exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

The advantages of working in a small team include speedier career growth, more personal work relationships, and more flexibility in meeting your needs and expectations. On the other hand, disadvantages include fewer company resources, lower pay, and fewer benefits.  

Stick around if you want to know more about the ins and outs of working in a small team. In this article, we’ll share 12 years of experience working on all types of small teams.

You’ll read about how small teams can help you make meaningful business connections, enjoy more flexibility with work conditions, and grow with the company, particularly if you join them at the critical initial stages. We will also discuss how basic pay, employee benefits, and adequate support and resources may take a backseat, factors you must be sufficiently prepared for.

Is It Advantageous To Work in a Small Team?

It is advantageous to work in a small team because it can expose you to more opportunities for faster career growth. You will also interact more directly with people who may significantly impact your current and future prospects. It could be a great stepping stone for career advancement.  

Some people harbor misgivings about working in a small team because of some flawed, preconceived notions about it. Working in a small team has its own benefits and downsides. 

Here are some of them:

Pros of Working in a Small Team

More Personal Relationships

Working in a small team keeps you in closer contact with your teammates. Business relationships tend to be more personal, meaningful, and symbiotic. Furthermore, direct interaction with leaders brings about more opportunities for coaching and support. 

When you’re part of a small team, there are more opportunities to foster valuable connections that may prove to be beneficial for you as you advance further in your career. These worthwhile relationships help establish a positive atmosphere in the workplace where feedback and constructive criticisms are encouraged so you can all help each other progress in terms of self-development and skill enhancement.

I remember a friend of mine telling me her story of being part of a small startup composed of just 5 individuals. They worked hard, day and night, eagerly giving up weekends to ensure the business gets a strong foothold in the bustling coffee industry. Their leader inspired openness and candor, and they were urged to own up to their strengths and weaknesses so they could support each other in navigating through tricky scenarios. 

The intimate relationships established were instrumental in allowing the team to work on their deficiencies and further build on our strengths. These solid connections continue to help my friend today, she says, particularly in terms of establishing professional networks, even if the team has gone separate ways and explored other fields. 

Less Bureaucracy 

In small teams, there are also minimal bureaucratic processes to contend with. Tasks can be accomplished faster because there are fewer steps, approvals, and appraisals to go through. Red tape is also efficiently reduced, if not eliminated. 

Red tape is also efficiently reduced, if not eliminated. 

Red tape, commonly associated with larger teams, is linked to missed opportunities, unnecessary delays, and redundant processes. Teams immersed in red tape are often inflexible, and they favor adhering blindly to established steps over independence, fast decision-making, and efficiency. 

In small teams, it is much easier to address the issue of red tape and mitigate its negative impact on the team’s productivity.  

More Flexibility

Small teams are generally hungrier for progress and more ambitious than their larger counterparts. When you join a budding small team, you become drawn into its dynamic, flexible culture where everyone is open to new ideas, eager to adapt to changing market trends, and bent on exploring creativity and innovation. 

A small team will also be more likely to adapt to your needs and expectations to boost employee retention, especially if you’re a significant asset to the business. Their aim is to attract and retain the best employees in the industry, so they can be counted on to be more flexible when it comes to adjusting work hours, methodologies, and other preferences. 

This can come in handy in today’s modern business setups where working remotely has become almost a requisite option for employees. A small team eager to retain you will readily give you more options to suit your needs and lifestyle so you can enjoy a better work-life balance. 

You Can Grow With the Company

Small teams are made up of 2-10 individuals working together toward common objectives. With fewer hierarchical positions to consider, you can more quickly move your way up the corporate ladder. Larger teams typically have a queue of tenured, competent, and worthy individuals waiting for their shot at career advancement, making promotion a more difficult and prolonged process for you. 

When you work in a small team, your strengths are more easily recognized and enhanced, while your weaknesses are more readily identified and refined.

At Sanctus Leadership, we believe in the value of uncovering our team members’ strengths and weaknesses. We invest in our team members’ strengths and leverage them for the benefit of both the individual and the team. Their weaknesses, we strive to overcome by finding ways to not allow them to pull the team back. When you want to learn how to do the same on your team, reach out to us!

Cons of Working in a Small Team 

You Won’t Enjoy Brand Recognition (Yet)

It’s very likely that small teams are practically unknown entities in the industry. Although this won’t pose much of an issue for the time being, it won’t be much help to you further down the road when you go job hunting, especially if you want to move on to larger organizations. Hiring managers are generally unimpressed with small teams. 

In this scenario, what you must do is focus on your skillset and range of experiences. Talk about what you bring to the table and how you can be an asset to their business. 

Limited Support/Resources

Small teams generally have fewer resources that team members can utilize. This is because they typically generate less revenue compared to their larger counterparts, which translates to less budget for support. 

This could mean you’ll be working with technology that isn’t up-to-date, your customer support services may not be as comprehensive, or you might be understaffed, and job descriptions aren’t as concise.

There might be more instances of employee burnout in smaller teams. Multitasking might be the norm, and this could easily trigger stress and frustration within the team.

Lower Compensation and Fewer Benefits

A small team’s scarcer revenue may also translate to lower compensation and fewer team benefits. You might expect an individual in a small team performing the same functions as their counterpart in a larger team to get a lower take-home pay. 

You might also want to take a look at these employee benefits, which often aren’t as favorable in small teams as they are in larger organizations:

• Health insurance
• Dental and vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Retirement benefits
• Annual salary increase
• Paid leaves
• Loans

Restricted Career Growth

Less hierarchy in the corporate ladder might be advantageous to you in terms of promotions, but it can also restrict you in terms of long-term career growth. Due to limited available positions in a small team, achieving your ceiling position may come sooner than you anticipated. 

You would have to wait for a new position to be created (which may take too long to happen) or for one of your superiors to leave the team (which is altogether incalculable). Being stuck in your ceiling position might leave you feeling dissatisfied, unhappy, and bored with your job. 

Reduced Job Security

Needless to say, small teams are more unstable than larger firms. They are more vulnerable to feeling the negative effects of market changes, financial dilemmas, natural calamities, and unforeseen hurdles. 

For instance, during the Covid-19 pandemic, a great deal of small teams were not able to survive the sudden and unforeseen problems and challenges posed by abrupt changes in the business sector. With limited resources to work with, some didn’t stand a chance against the unsympathetic state of affairs. Many small teams buckled under intense pressure, while most larger organizations were able to withstand the heat.

Key Takeaways

Working for a small team is for you if you have an aversion to bureaucracy and value meaningful personal relationships, flexible work conditions, and a speedier trip up the corporate ladder. A small team isn’t for you if job security, a competitive compensation and benefits package, and working with a reputable firm are among your priorities. 

Working in a small team has its ups and downs, but it will expose you to opportunities you might otherwise not encounter with a larger team. At the end of the day, it is a personal choice, and knowing the pros and cons will help you make the best decision.