Lean Scaleup Roundtable: How to create a “startup-ish autonomy” in the corporate context?

by Lean Scaleup | November 30, 2022
Lean Scaleup Roundtable: How to create a “startup-ish autonomy” in the corporate context?

When and how do you design an environment that allows a scaleup to grow at pace within a corporate context?

Yesterday we had the last Lean Scaleup Roundtable for 2022.

The Roundtable is a 1-hour format where new-business builders meet to discuss specific issues. For this event, we had 38 sign-ups. I take this as a clear sign that corporate practitioners search for and appreciate a space to reflect, to share, to challenge and to learn.

We will continue next year with the topic ‘Mitigating tensions between Core and scaleup.’ Please find more information and sign up here – corporate practitioners only.

Yesterday’s topic was ‘startup-ish autonomy’ – when and how to design an environment that allows a corporate scaleup to scale at pace while leveraging corporate assets and capabilities for an unfair advantage within the corporate context?

THREE IDEAS

1. You can arrange the startup-ish autonomy for every scaleup, or you bake it into the system. Think of it as a Scaling-Up playbook or the operating model of a Scaling-Up unit. If you go for the first option, you should arrange it in a defined stage ‘Transitioning to Scaling-Up’ after the scaleup has been validated to be ‘worthy to be scaled’ and ‘ready to be scaled.’

2. Independent of which option you choose, a startup-ish autonomy comprises five elements. Among them are the right distance (physical and financially) between scaleup and Core, empowering people and agile/lean operations of the scaleup.

3. The Best Practice framework Lean Scaleup guides you what you need to put in place for your company’s new-business building infrastructure. There are 12 modules, among them are ‘Startup-ish autonomy’ and ‘Structure, funding and governance.’ These two connect to each other. You want the people in your lean governance board to be the ones that can help you to mitigate the inevitable tensions between Core and scaling the emerging new business.

TWO QUOTES

“This one hour is a great work out to reflect what we are doing and to challenge our approach with Best Practices from other companies.”

“The diversity in participants’ industries helps to get new and fresh ideas. I wish we had more time to discuss.”

ONE QUESTION

How does your company design its startup-ish autonomy? Did you cover all of the aspects that are needed for a ‘set-up for success’?