My opinion is that usually the bigger the company, the worst and more uncomfortable is for the employee. This applies very well for testers. This is more a feeling than actual facts but now I have also some ideas in metrics. I am not very sure of it but I think it has some relevance.
For a big company you need layers or levels to maintain control. Often the value drops at any level, not necessarily because the people of a lower level are less skilled, but because of internal procedures limitation. So for example let’s say that the lower level represents 80% of the immediate upper level. I refer here at the efficiency and possible profit, not at quantity. Multiplying the human resource will multiply the costs also. 0.8*0.8*0.8=0.512 so a level is almost 50% of the value from 3 levels upper.
Flattening the levels or using multiple audit level is not very useful because it doesn’t really help too much. You need some structure when working with huge number of people.
There are also some benefits to this structure like keeping competition up, replacing people quickly when they ask for more money…But there are also downsizes for it.

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1. Ashvini Kumar Saxena says:

   September 25, 2010 at 8:17 pm

   Hi,
   I have found that staying in large company is most of times is stifling. Large companies are good for people who want to stay safe ( not so much anymore). I think breaking up a company into smaller units when it reaches a critical size is the way to go. But it is not easy I feel.

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   • Eusebiu Blindu says:

     October 3, 2010 at 6:13 pm

     Yeah even big companies don’t offer the comfort of safe job like before. There is no purpose in creating this superstructures in one place. I think your idea its good with the note also to have separate managements. I mean for example multiple QA managers but not a top QA manager, only general manager. This is to avoid common approaches and compete inside the company for better ones

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