What start-ups can learn from Samsung's Note 7 fiasco

A meritocratic environment and not fearing failure are important, reports Tech in Asia

The battery in the Note 7 had a predilection to burst into flames; the replacement battery had the same issue, and now there is a massive recall of all Samsung Galaxy Note 7s.

This botched launch shows serious flaws in the chaebol (business group) work culture. It’s imperative for start-ups to avoid these pitfalls if they want to be successful.

Problem: Ageism and sexism in these companies manifest themselves in the rigid hierarchy such that, in order to be a manager and hold real power, your qualifications must include being old and a male. 

Combine this with the perceived infallibility of managers and you potentially have less qualified people making decisions that affect the entire company with zero checks and balances in place.

What start-ups should learn: Promote a meritocratic environment. The only variables you are being judged by should be what you produce, its quality, and your ability to work with your fellow team members in a friendly, cohesive environment. 

Problem: Once things start going wrong, as they did when the first batch of phones started to explode, the issue was not tackled immediately. It was ignored. That would admit failure, and there’s nothing worse than failure.

What start-ups should learn: You are going to fail multiple times. And that’s a good thing: it means that you are learning. There is no such thing as an absolute failure but rather merely one iteration in the lifetime of your product. If you try and stick to previous tried-and-true methods, then there is no space for innovation and growth. You want to be a start-up, you want to be different, not your run-of-the-mill company.

This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here