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Leaping from stable to unstable

A qualitative analysis of employees’ motivation to make the transition from

established companies to startups

BACHELOR DEGREE

THESIS WITHIN: Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15 ECTS

PROGRAMME OF STUDY: International Management AUTHOR: Eric Svensson, Adam Törnqvist, Petter Broberg TUTOR: Ziad el Awad

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to those that have helped us to complete this thesis. Firstly, thank you to our supervisor Ziad el Awad who has tirelessly guided and advised us through the process of writing this thesis.

Our sincere gratitude also goes out to the interviewees who have participated in this thesis. Thank you for your time and thank you for your interest in the research.

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Eric Svensson Adam Törnqvist Petter Broberg

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Bachelor Thesis Project in Business Administration

Title: Leaping from stable to unstable: A qualitative analysis of employees’

motivation to make the transition from established companies to startups

Authors: Eric Svensson, Adam Törnqvist, Petter Broberg

Tutor: Ziad el Awad

Date: 2020-05-17

Key terms: Startups, New Ventures, Job Attractiveness, Job Satisfaction, Motivation

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Abstract

One of the main challenges of startups is to attract qualified labor. Because startups lack routines, processes, and frequently depend on limited financial resources they can be perceived as unstable. It is also true that nine out of ten startups are doomed to fail.

Accordingly, one might wonder why individuals seek employment at startups. Specifically, why do individuals leave established companies, that offer stability, to pursue employment at startups? This thesis analyzes the motivations for individuals making a transition from stable employment in an established company to more unstable employment in a startup. By examining valued attributes, as well as dissatisfying factors of startups and established companies, we clarify what motivates individuals to make the transition. This thesis is based on a qualitative analysis of data gathered from twelve semi-structured interviews. Previous research was examined and used to base the questions for the interviews. This was

supplemented by proactively investigating the responses during the interview, and then adding questions based on the drivers revealed by the interviewees, using abductive logic. The results of this research show that there are three main reasons individuals are motivated to make the transition. The entrepreneurial factor, dissatisfying factors of established

companies, and a majority of valued attributes being more prevalent in startups proved to be the main motivational drivers.

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1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Literature Review 3 2.1 Employer Branding 3 2.2 Organizational Awareness 5 2.3 Valued Attributes 6 2.4 Motivation 9

2.4.1 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 10

2.4.2 Motivation Hygiene Theory 11

3.0 Research Methodology 14 3.1 Philosophical Assumptions 14 3.2 Research Design 15 3.3 Sample 17 3.4 Data Collection 17 3.5 Data Analysis 19 3.6 Limitations of Methodology 19 3.7 Ethical Considerations 20

4.0 Findings and Analysis 21

4.1 Entrepreneurial Factor 21 4.1.1 Risk 22 4.1.2 Challenges 24 4.1.3 Learning environment 25 4.2 Appreciation 27 4.2.1 Work Appreciation 27 4.2.2 Compensation 28 4.2.3 Achievement 30

4.2.4 Organizational Awareness and Impact of Work 32

4.3 Drivers of Dissatisfaction 34

4.3.1 Inertia and Hierarchies 34

4.3.2 Internal Competition, Politics and Teamwork 36

5.0 Conclusion 40

6.0 Theoretical and Practical Contribution 42

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1.0

Introduction

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The introduction section will present the topic, background, problem, purpose, and the research question of this thesis and how we contribute to the literature.

Startups are a rising phenomenon in business. They are defined as ventures at their early stage of development which are initiated by one or more entrepreneurs. Startups typically lack routines and processes and depend on limited financial resources (Gong, Baker, & Miner, 2009; Giardino, Wang, & Abrahamsson, 2014). Therefore, they are less capable of continuously bringing products, services, or processes on the market. Hence, roughly 90% of startups are doomed to fail at some point in their development (Krishna, Agraval, & Choudhary, 2016). Nonetheless, those that succeed, stand a promising chance to become pioneers. In recent years, 14 Swedish startups have managed to achieve unprecedented growth achieving a value exceeding 1 billion SEK (Carlsson, 2017), making them an attractive choice for employment.

Different from startups, established companies, are older firms that enjoy institutionalized routines and processes which underlie their performance. As such, established companies have more stable activities that guide their market activities and allow them to secure consistent financial profits (Gong, Baker, & Miner, 2005). Given the characteristics of startups, one of the main challenges they face is difficulties in attracting qualified labor (Moser, Tumasjan, & Welpe, 2015). This is predominantly due to the lack of attractiveness in recruitment efforts, and the lack of stability which signals high risk for those considering joining. Despite the characteristics of startups, it is rather unclear why we still see an

increasing number of cases where individuals leap from stable employment to unstable ones? Therefore, we ask: “Why do individuals leave established companies to pursue employment

in startups?” Existing research on job attractiveness has emphasized the importance of

certain job attributes such as compensation (Earle, 2003; Boswell, Roehling, LePine, and Moynihan, 2003). However, there is still a lack of understanding of the real motives behind making this transition. This could be due to the overarching emphasis on studying this phenomenon quantitatively where most studies have focused on detailing attractive job attributes (Szamosi, 2006; Tumasjan, Strobel, & Welpe, 2015; Earle, 2003; Lester, Claire, & Kickul, 2001). Some scholars have explored what factors influence the attractiveness of jobs, but have included participants that are unemployed (Szamosi, 2006; Earle, 2003). Significant

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contributions in the literature report what attributes full-time employees value the most (Lester et al., 2001), but little is known about the motivations about the transition from an established company to a startup. Other studies have analyzed startup attractiveness but have been bound to investigate pre-determined attributes (Tumasjan et al., 2011).

By looking at the drivers of job satisfaction that these scholars have revealed, and

supplementing it with a qualitative inquiry, several new drivers of satisfaction are showed that startups facilitate, but established companies does not. We explore the phenomenon qualitatively, offering a better understanding of the underlying motives of the transition to a startup. Furthermore, we also think that the result of many studies is not directly applicable to startups because of the lack of differentiation between startups and other company forms (Earle, 2003; Williamson, Cable, and Aldrich, 2002; Szamosi, 2006). For instance, although a startup is a type of SME (small and medium-sized enterprise), its nature is quite different. It can be argued that SMEs are similar to large corporations but on a smaller scale, although their characteristics are not exactly the same, both types of organizations operate in more stable environments than startups (Rompho, 2018). The reason for this is that startups have few or no established routines and processes. This is an important distinction, because the interviewees experience this in satisfactory terms, as establishing routines resulted in learning for the interviewees.

Since startups have difficulties in attracting qualified labor, the results can be used practically by startups. By emphasizing the proposed drivers of satisfaction with the goal of increasing the attractiveness to work at a startup. This thesis contributes to a greater understanding of the underlying motives when transitioning from an established company to a startup. Moreover, we contribute to the literature in adding new attributes that are important in the transition. Furthermore, since the interviewees are involved in a comparison between the established company and the startup, drivers of dissatisfaction at the established companies are also shown. In contrast to previous research, where established companies are suggested to have an advantage in recruitment efforts, we contribute by illuminating drivers of dissatisfaction at the established companies. In fact, we think it is important to note that the results are not generalizable to all people, it is possible that the interviewees are particularly suited to work in a startup. With this said, we also aspire to show drivers of dissatisfaction for established

companies, where established companies can take appropriate responses to decrease these drivers.

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2.0 Literature Review

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The exploratory approach to this thesis will use the theories in the literature review to gain understanding of the research aims. The literature identified is a tool for understanding the motivations why individuals seek employment in startups, in addition to being a tool to predict likely outcomes in the study. Reviewing the literature, several fields of research was recognized to be effective in answering the research question. Namely: employer branding, organizational awareness, valued attributes, and motivation.

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2.1 Employer Branding

Employer branding is a concept important to explore in order to understand what employees may find appealing about startups and how startups can use this information to attract potential employees. The term “Employer branding”, introduced by Ambler and Barrow, is defined as applying brand marketing techniques to the process of recruiting and attracting employees. It describes a firm's effort to promote and mediate a clear view of what makes the firm different and desirable as an employer (Backhaus & Tikoo, 2004). Tumasjan, Strobel, and Welpe (2011) research the concept of employer branding which they define as the use of a brand marketing approach to create “a unique employment brand for organizations targeted at current and potential employees”. Hence, companies can use employer branding to

differentiate from competitors by highlighting employment offerings unique to that firm. This, in turn, could potentially attract employees and allow the firm to market their employer value proposition which makes them unique (Tumasjan et al., 2011). In addition, Moser, Tumasjan, and Welpe (2015) argue that employer branding can be an attractive and suitable strategy for startups to employ. Startups can experience difficulties in attracting qualified labor to the company. One reason according to Moser et al., (2015) is that startups suffer from low recognition and weak employer brand. It is possible that startups have a weaker employer brand due to its size and youth as a company. Hence, organizational awareness (the familiarity of an organization) may mitigate startups' ability to reach out to potential

employees. Consequently, startups should, in order to combat the issue of attracting

employees, work towards creating a strong employer brand by promoting the characteristics making it unique. It allows the startup to mediate the benefits and advantages of working at

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the company to its target employees. By creating a favorable employer brand image, a company can positively influence the applicant’s attraction of the firm (Tumasjan et al., 2011). Therefore, building and maintaining a strong employer brand may be of great importance in order to attract new employees, especially for smaller companies such as startups.

To overcome barriers of weak employer brand, Tumasjan et al., (2011) suggest startups should apply a strategy of distinctiveness to strengthen employer branding and organizational awareness. To effectively compete with firms with strong employer brand and recognition, startups should distinguish themselves from the norms of large corporations (Tumasjan et al., 2011). Meaning that small companies should brand themselves to potential employees by highlighting the characteristics that differentiate them from larger firms. The strategy would elevate features and attributes which makes the startup unique in relation to established firms and thereby develop a strong employer brand. Thus, a startup needs to distance itself from what is perceived negative of larger organization and simultaneously promote the features uniquely present in the startup environment.

In line with previous research, Williamson et al., (2002) suggest it is important for startups to create distinctiveness and argues that it should be used to optimize small business

requirement. Additionally, Moser et al., (2017) suggest that new ventures should, in order to combat recruitment difficulties, put emphasis on their distinct employer characteristics and hence create the distinctiveness. These distinct characteristics may vary depending on the type of startup but could alternatively be either transactional (monetary), relational (social relations) or ideological (vision or mission of the firm) (Moser et al., 2017). Furthermore, startups also need to position themselves as trustworthy, reliable and credible as an employer in order to create distinctiveness and thus combat recruitment challenges (Moser et al., 2017). However, what specific attributes employees may value and be intrigued by will be discussed in a later section to try to answer the question as to why people with stable employment seek employment in startups.

In conclusion, the literature reviewed on the subject seems to be fairly consistent and in consensus regarding the importance of distinctiveness in employer branding for startups, especially in order to combat recruitment difficulties. However, the literature reviewed is somewhat inconclusive about what specific attributes to promote in order to create

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distinctiveness. This thesis aims to add insight into why people seek employment in startups and thus consequently explore what attributes are valued by employees. These attributes may be uniquely present in the startup environment and could be used by startups to create

distinctiveness and thus mitigate requirement difficulties.

2.2 Organizational Awareness

Research indicates that organizational awareness, which refers to people's familiarity with a firm, is an important predictor of job seekers’ search decisions (Williamson, Cable & Aldrich, 2002). This section serves to explain the different factors of organizational awareness, and how they relate to startups. The topic is introduced to acknowledge that startups have weaker organizational awareness because they are by definition a recently started venture. Low organizational awareness means that a firm is fairly unknown to the public and has limited name recognition, which naturally can impede the recruitment efforts of startups. Larger and more well-known firms generally have greater organizational

awareness which smaller businesses often cannot rely on. Name recognition, reputation, and market share may not be known to potential employees and can hinder the success of smaller businesses like startups to attract new employees (Williamson et al., 2002). Startups also face significant competitive disadvantages compared to more established firms partly due to limited public recognition (Moser et al., 2015). Furthermore, Barrett and Mayson (2010) argues that it is mostly younger startups that suffer from these problems as older ones might be perceived as more stable. However, startups are still operating in a less stable environment than SMEs and larger organizations (Rompho, 2018), which arguably may impede

recruitment efforts nonetheless. Gong, Baker, and Miner (2009) explains that new ventures, including startups, do not have routines in place for handling many of the opportunities and challenges they face. Startups often solve problems by persistently improvising solutions and thus rely heavily on improvised capabilities. These capabilities can arguably become

sustained through repeated episodes of improvisation which can lead to the development of routines (Gong, Baker and Miner, 2009). Hence, it is possible, as the startup matures, more routines and processes are established which makes the startup perceive more stable, ultimately reducing organizational awareness problems. However, the lack of processes in startups may not necessarily be only negative. It can arguably be used to distinguish startups from established companies and thus create distinctiveness which startups can use to mitigate recruitment difficulties (Williamson et al., 2002).

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The consensus of the research reviewed seems to stress the importance for firms to create organizational awareness which startups often lack, making their efforts to attract potential employees more difficult. It is sensible that low organizational awareness, which startups often suffer from, consequently leads to potential applicants not knowing about the startups' desire to recruit. However, startups may have desirable characteristics that can be used to increase organizational awareness. To conclude, there are certain awareness disadvantages startups face, which negatively impacts the recruitment capabilities of the company.

2.3 Valued Attributes

To find out why someone would leave a stable employment in an established company to work in a startup, it is important to understand what attributes of a job employees value the most. According to a study by Earle (2003), there is nothing that can attract and retain employees better than offering them high salaries, with 62% of respondents citing

compensation as the most valued attribute. However, this finding is not in a startup context and could pose a problem for startups in attracting employees if it holds true in that context as well since the financial resources often are more limited. In addition, there is no

differentiation between employed and unemployed individuals in the study which is an aspect that significantly influences motivation. The study by Earle (2003) also shows that the work environment is regarded as a highly valued attribute as well and could thus be a decisive factor when choosing a job. The attributes of the workplace that was valued the most were, knowledge sharing, support of teamwork, enabling communication and the creation of a productive environment where employees are being challenged and motivated to perform their best (Earle, 2003). In the context of startups, these attributes are arguably easier to attain than offering a high salary. In addition, Boswell et al., (2003) agree that compensation is an important attribute of a job but does not seem to stress its importance as much as the previous study reviewed. In the study by Boswell et al., (2003), the majority of the respondents

answered that culture and the work itself were the most important attributes, followed by compensation. The study also revealed training and opportunities for advancements as important attributes for a job (Boswell et al., 2003). The previous research concerned attributes that could be attractive for a job but they are not in a startup context. These

attributes might or might not be applicable to a startup, there is a lack of research in the area making it impossible to draw conclusions in the context of a startup. This research seeks to clarify the importance of these types of attributes and their relation to motivation for individuals transitioning to employment in a startup.

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In the context of startups, attracting people with high salaries might be difficult as they are often resource-constrained. However, not everyone agrees with Earle (2003) and Boswell et al., (2003) regarding the importance of compensation. Therefore, it could be very beneficial for startups to focus on other job attributes to attract employees. A study of what generation X (people born between 1965-1979) and Y (people born between 1980-1994) are seeking when working in an SME, by Szamosi (2006), revealed that generation X and Y rank compensation 12th in terms of important attributes of a job, stating that “money is not

everything”. This contradiction to previous research is interesting, especially to startups as it points to the direction that attracting employees is not dependent on the ability to offer high salaries. According to Szamosis (2006) study, tomorrow’s SME employees are seeking organizations that are risk-oriented, innovative, adhering to supportive values, socially and environmentally responsible as well as creative and friendly (Szamosi, 2006). The attributes sought by tomorrow’s SME employees appear to be what is meant by culture in the response to the study by Boswell et al., (2003). These findings indicate that employees in SMEs seek risk-oriented and innovative organizations, which startups appear to be. Hence, these attributes might be applicable in a startup context as well. Furthermore, Moser et al., (2015) research draw a similar conclusion about what attributes are valued as Szamosi (2006). However, they argue that values, which Szamosi (2006) identified to be an attractive

attribute, did not have a significant effect on the attractiveness of startups. Although they still acknowledge that values have a minor effect on organizational attractiveness, they do not suggest it has a direct effect (Moser et al., 2015), which may indicate that there is a difference between valued employer attributes in SMEs and startups.

Furthermore, the research by Lester, Claire, and Kickul (2001) is in line with the research of Szamosis’s (2006). They calculated the mean importance of 38 attributes, taken from the response of 268 full-time employees enrolled in a part-time Master of Business

Administration program. The findings revealed that 32 attributes were rated as “very important” or “extremely important”. Similar to Szamosis’s (2006) findings, none of the highest-rated attributes were compensation. Instead, the top-rated attributes were

opportunities for advancement, trust and respect, open and honest communication, fair treatment as well as challenging and interesting work. The study suggests that even though compensation is not ignored, employees are becoming more aware of non-monetary

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startup context, this could be used to attract employees by other means than offering a high salary. These findings are supported by the conclusions of Moser et al., (2015), which looked at six distinctive employer attributes that served as significant predictors of organizational attractiveness in startups. They conclude, that a higher level of concern for the well-being of the employees of the startup would be associated with a higher level of organizational attractiveness. Furthermore, they argue that this attribute, quite significantly, outperformed other attributes in their effect on organizational attractiveness. This finding contradicts Earle's (2003) research, which instead argues compensation to be the most valued attribute. Hence, the current literature in the field offers somewhat contradictory conclusions regarding the importance of compensation and other attributes in the context of established firms, and few conclusions in the context of startups. Therefore, this research aims to give further insight into what attributes startup employees value by collecting qualitative data through semi-structured interviews.

Worth acknowledging is that some of these studies are not specifically about attributes of working in a startup but rather what employees in organizations value. This is not to say that it is not applicable to startups but one cannot state that these attributes valued by employees are the same as they might be in a startup. In addition, these studies are somewhat

contradictory in terms of the importance of monetary compensation, which makes drawing a conclusion more difficult. The conclusion one can draw from this is that it is possible to attract people to organizations without substantial monetary compensation and that there are attributes employees may value higher. Previous studies on the topic had a quantitative approach. This thesis, on the other hand is qualitative in order to get in depth and understand more about the importance of attributes in the workplace and why someone working in an established company would seek employment in a startup. That is something that seems to be lacking in the current literature.

Moreover, it is probable that the success of a startup is dependent on the skills and talents of its employees and managers, in other words the human resources of the firm. In a study by Michaels, Handfield-Jones, and Axelrod, (2001) they examine what makes for an attractive employee value proposition (EVP) in the eyes of talented managers. They argue that talented managers want exciting and challenging jobs they feel passionate about. Managers seek an open, trusting and performance-oriented culture where there are opportunities for

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new businesses and launch new products, one of which could be a reason to work in a startup. However, they also want substantial wealth creation opportunities (Michaels et al., 2001), which are aligned with Earle, (2003), and in contrast to Szamosis (2006) and Lester et al., (2001).

To conclude, there are contradictions in regard to the importance of monetary compensation and the ranking of different attributes is not the same in all studies. However, a majority of the studies indicate that there are attributes that motivate some people more than monetary compensation. The attributes most frequently valued by employees are: opportunities to develop and advance, a culture that is performance-oriented where employees are challenged and motivated to perform their best, trust and open communication and interesting job

assignments. These attributes are highly connected to motivation and performance, something certain employees seem to strive for. In addition, managers and members of generation X and Y have something in common in that managers seek to start new businesses and launch new products and generation X and Y wants organizations that are innovative and risk-oriented. Attributes sought by managers and generation X and Y could very well be applicable in a startup since they by definition are newly started ventures. Previous research is helpful in getting an understanding of valued attributes in general and those could potentially be valued in startups as well. However, there is a lack of understanding as to the importance of these valued attributes and there is little understanding of these attributes in a startup context. Startups and SMEs are widely different, for example, in a startup there are few set processes or procedures which makes working there very different from working in an established company (Rompho, 2018). Hence, it is important to get an understanding of this in the context of startups. In addition, current literature is quantitative which results in a lack of depth in the understanding of valued attributes and the relationship between attributes and motivation. This research is qualitative with the ambition to clarify the relation between valued attributes and motivation, in the context of a startup.

2.4 Motivation

In line with attempting to understand individuals who seek employment in startups, the ambition of the study is concerned with understanding the individual’s experience of desire, in addition to the experience of aversion. Consequently, the area of motivation theory is a contribution to the study in explaining the psychological processes involved in motivation. When reviewing the literature, two major theories within the field was determined to be the

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most advantageous in our research ambition. Namely: Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, and the Motivation Hygiene Theory.

2.4.1 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

One major, widely referenced theory of motivation is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow (1943) believed that there are at least five sets of goals, which can be referred to as the basic needs. Namely, physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. According to Maslow (1943) individuals, including employees at various organizations, are motivated by the desire to fulfill or maintain the conditions that the basic needs rest upon, in addition to certain other intellectual desires.

The theory states that if an individual satisfies a need, then the individual is thought to move on to the next need in the hierarchy. This thesis will only take the last three steps of the pyramid into consideration: love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. The reason for this is that the previous needs are thought to be satisfied already. For instance, the safety needs are satisfied by the interviewee’s employment. Consequently, the first two steps physiological and safety needs are satisfied, and the next set of emerging needs are the love and belonging needs. At this stage, the individual hunger for interpersonal relationships more than anything else (Maslow 1943). This includes friendship, intimacy, trust, and acceptance, and affiliating, being part of a group. The next need in the hierarchy concerns esteem-needs. Maslow (1943) states that virtually all individuals have a need or desire for high evaluation of the individuals’ self-respect, or self-esteem, and for the esteem of others. Furthermore, the esteem needs may need to be classified into two subsidiary sets. Firstly, the desire for

achievement, for adequacy, for confidence in the face of the world, and for independence and freedom. By definition, a startup is a somewhat recently started venture. Thus, it is probable that achievement is a palpable need for employees. It is logical that new ventures are by nature achieving more proportionally than large corporations, i.e. a new client boosts sales more for a startup than a large corporation, or other milestones. In addition, it is also probable that employees at startup experience a greater contribution to the firm than other

organizations. This is explained by, in general, that laborers in startups are few, and the net impact of the work per laborer is more significant than for instance a global corporation. The second subcategory of esteem is described by Maslow (1943) as the desire for prestige, reputation, recognition, attention, importance, or appreciation. By the same reasoning as above, several of these desires are reasonably well met in startups in general, i.e. importance

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recognized by the founder when boosting sales. However, it should be noted as startups are often resource-constrained (Giardino, Wang, & Abrahamsson, 2014), it is possible that individuals will not experience appreciation without sufficient monetary compensation. The satisfaction of these needs leads to feelings of self-confidence, worth, and being useful to the world, whereas if unmet produces feelings of inferiority, weakness, and helplessness. The last set of needs Maslow (1943) refers to as self-actualization. Even though all the previous needs are fulfilled, discontent and restlessness may appear if the individual is not doing what the individual is fitted for. In other words, the desire to be the best one can be. Regarding work, this can be achieved through providing challenges and encouraging creativity, which Earle (2003), Lester et al., (2001) and Michaels et al., (2001) ranks as a highly valuable job

attribute. Essentially being stimulated by what one does. The concluding remarks by Maslow (1943) involve referring to individuals who fulfill all sets of needs as satisfied people, and it is from these individuals one can expect the fullest creativeness.

2.4.2 Motivation Hygiene Theory

Another major theory in the topic of motivation is the hygiene theory (Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1993), also known as the two-factor theory. The two-factor theory states that certain factors cause job satisfaction, “motivators”, and certain separate factors that cause job dissatisfaction, “hygiene” factors. Based on Herzberg et al.,’s (1993) study of 200

accountants, it was revealed that employees tended to describe satisfying experiences in terms of factors that were intrinsic to the work itself. These factors referred to as motivators, similar to Maslow’s esteem needs (1943), and the most valued attributes of Boswell et al., (2003), and Michaels et al., (2001), include achievement, recognition, the work itself, advancement opportunities, and growth potential. In contrast, dissatisfying experiences, referred to as hygiene factors, largely resulted from factors extrinsic to the work itself, such as company policies, salary, and coworker relations (Herzberg et al., 1993). Therefore, it is in the firm’s interest to maximize the motivators and reduce the dissatisfying experiences in the hygienic factors. This revelation suggests that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not

opposites, the factors that influence them are distinct. In the context of startups, who often offer limited compensation, it is possible employees could experience some dissatisfaction. However, differentiation between current compensation and future compensation must be conducted. It is a fair assumption that employees believe in the success of the firm and will reap financial rewards in the future by getting paid through for instance stock options. Hence, the prospect of future rewards might limit the hygienic factor of salary in the study.

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Furthermore, according to Herzberg et al., (1993) motivation is largely concerned with the meaning of work. This could suggest that motivated employees experience that they play an important role within the organization. In the study, it is important to differentiate between individual factors of motivators and hygiene factors to reveal similarities and differences that are connected to the organizational entity. The implications of the theory are clear, if

executives want more satisfied employees, motivation can be increased by changing the nature of the employee’s job. Consequently, jobs should be designed to, in line with Lester et al., (2001), and Michaels et al., (2001) maximize challenge, responsibility, advancement opportunities, and permit personal growth.

This literature review aspires to provide a toolbox for understanding motivations for

employment. In the context of our research, where employees leave an established company for job pursuits in a startup, it can be concluded that startups should leverage the distinct characteristics of a startup. However, startups are likely to suffer from a lack of

organizational awareness that larger firms benefit from. Regarding valued attributes, the importance of compensation was somewhat inconclusive, but a majority of the studies revealed that factors intrinsic to the work were the most important, including learning opportunities, and challenging and interesting work. The importance of certain variables are aligned with the need for self-actualization (Maslow, 1943), the motivators (Herzberg et al., 1993), where challenges, responsibility, opportunities for self-development are thought to be prime-motivators to why individuals seek employment in startups. However, there are knowledge-gaps in aspiring to understand why individuals leave stable employments to seek employment in startups.

Other scholars have looked at startup attractiveness but have done so by asking participants to rank pre-determined attributes (Tumasjan et al., 2011). In contrast, we are not bound to predetermined attributes of investigation, but are permitting new drivers to evolve continually throughout the work. Michaels et al., (2001) examines what makes for an attractive employee value proposition for talented managers. The book is certainly useful in the research

endeavour, but since this thesis is in a different context, the conclusions of the book might not be generalizable toward this thesis’ research topic. Furthermore, Earle (2003) discusses a study where adults got to list factors that influence their decision to accept or leave a job. However, the proportion of unemployed and employed individuals in the study is not stated. Arguably, individuals with no employment are generally in need of compensation, and thus

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might alter the results of the desired factors in the study. Other scholars with the same limitation regarding our topic are Szamosi (2006) and Boswell at al., (2003) who uses

participants that are unemployed. Furthermore, the work of Lester et al., (2001) contributes to this thesis in showing what attributes full-time employees value the most, but little is said about individuals’ motivation to leave an established company for a startup. Furthermore, SMEs are more similar to large corporations than startups, because they operate in more stable environments (Rompho, 2018). Since startups have few, or no established processes and routines, this thesis takes a different context than Szamosi (2006), because the unit of analysis is focused on startups. All research discussed within the literature review has contributed to the field quantitatively. The qualitative approach of this thesis is

supplementary in the sense that a qualitative approach enables the interviewees full and true story to emerge. This leads to both a deeper understanding of the drivers of satisfaction at startups, and the drivers of dissatisfaction at established companies. Furthermore, the qualitative nature of this thesis allows the researcher of not being locked to certain

predetermined drivers, but the open conversation permits new drivers to be identified as the data collection continues.

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3.0 Research Methodology

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This section covers the research methodology. Here, we explain the overall strategy of the thesis, and the rationale of methodology decisions made. The philosophical assumptions section aspires to convey the subjective values, assumptions and biases that are of importance in the study. Sample, data collection and data analysis explains the unit of analysis, how we have gathered the data and finally how we analyzed the data. Lastly, we discuss the limitation of the study and the ethical considerations relevant to the thesis.

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3.1 Philosophical Assumptions

Researches always bring certain beliefs and philosophical assumptions to the research (Creswell, 2011). This section aspires to convey the assumptions, to provide definitions for them, and to discuss how they are illustrated in the study. This thesis adopts an interpretive stance, due to the different perceptions of reality both between the researchers, and also the interviewees. Therefore, the ontological issue of the nature of reality is thought to differ between all actors from researchers to interviewees. Consequently, the multiple forms of reality are expressed in the reporting of the stories of these individuals. The epistemological assumption in qualitative research means that researchers try to get as close as possible to the participants being studied (Creswell, 2011). This is somewhat inhibited for two reasons. A larger sample size would increase generalizability. Also, due to the Covid-19 virus, in-person interviews are impossible and thus considered to inhibit the closeness from an observational perspective. However, the number of interviews and the sum of time with the interviewees make the researchers confident in understanding the environment where they operate. Nonetheless, the thematic findings are quotes of participants, and the subjective evidence of qualitative inquiry is assembled based on the individual views of the participants (Creswell, 2011).

Furthermore, as business students on a bachelor level, we are naturally affected by the environment and consequently bring value-laden and biases to the research, often referred to as axiological assumptions (Creswell, 2011). This is of particular importance because

employment is frequently discussed in our environment, and in particular startups. The narratives around startups are overwhelmingly positive. Often, it is portrayed as absent from

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hierarchies and a fast and fun work environment. Generally, the narrative appears to be the opposite of working for established institutions, which sometimes are referred to as dull and a sense of not contributing to the performance of the firm. Although these experiences

produced the research question in addition to giving guidance on important characteristics of startups, it also brings about biases to the research. For instance, as a result of the prior narratives, there is a threat of outcome bias. The reason is that the past experiences of the researchers are indicative of what the interviewees might find desirable about startups. To reduce the risk of being entrenched by prior experiences and to interpret data that conforms to the prior experiences, open-ended questions were used. This serves the research ambitions in several ways. Firstly, open-ended questions are useful in allowing the interviewee's true story to emerge, because the questions are broad and not narrow, the responses were less dependent on the researchers. Secondly, the interview questions are revised by the responses, and factors brought up by the interviewees that were of interest were also incorporated by the set of interview questions. Also, during the data collection, the interviewees are reminded several times of the purpose of the interview: why did you leave an established company to seek employment at a startup? The reminder served to make the interviewees think broadly about the question and allowed the interviewee to express thoughts about the decision that goes beyond the set of questions prepared by the researchers.

3.2 Research Design

The main purpose of this thesis is to gain insight into why individuals leave established companies to pursue employment in startups. The research is designed around twelve semi-structured interviews with individuals who have left an established company to be employed at a startup. The motivation to pursue a job in a startup might differ depending on the

industry, which is why the startups in this research compete in various industries. However, it should be noted that the startups are overwhelmingly tech startups. Furthermore, the turnover of the startups used in this thesis was growing year-to-year. Also, the net profit of the startups used was not positive for two consecutive years, for any startup. This was verified through allabolag.se.

Semi-structured interviewing involves prepared questioning guided by the identified themes in the literature review. The interviews revealed factors of interest in the thesis that went beyond the initial questions. Consequently, questions were added and revised by the responses of the interviewees. For instance, an initially overlooked driver was the sense of

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building something at the startup. Meaning, they experience the entrepreneurial factor of building a company. This turned out to be of particular importance regarding interviewees' job satisfaction at startups. The semi-structured interview technique is popular because it is flexible, accessible, and more important, capable of disclosing important and often hidden facets of human and organizational behavior (Qu & Dumay, 2011). This is an accurate description of how the researchers perceive the mission of this thesis, to find the hidden facets of human behavior. We believe there is an asymmetry of knowledge regarding the risk of involvement in a startup and the compensation of being employed by a startup. Hence, this thesis aspires to add new insights regarding the topic and takes on an exploratory approach. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances regarding the Covid-19 virus, none of the interviews could be conducted in person, but via Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangout.

In order to answer the research question, the research methods are based on a qualitative approach that aspires to capture the drivers behind why someone working a stable job in an established company would leap into pursuing a career in a startup. To capture this,

interviewees were required to explain their opinions and feelings regarding the topic. The basis of the questions was conducted with abductive logic. Various literary contributions such as the motivators from the Hygiene Theory created a foundation for what factors to

investigate regarding the research question. Previous research is, to our knowledge, nonexistent in assessing why individuals transition to startups. Hence, investigating unexplored factors such as the rapid environment of startups is thought to aid the research ambitions and assist in adding new insights to the subject. Consequently, this study applies an abductive logic in which the major premise is evident but the minor premise is not, and therefore the conclusion is not certain. Meaning that theories about valued attributes,

motivation, etc. are evident in established companies but the application of those in a startup context is not, and therefore no conclusions about startups can be drawn based on the current literature. In all qualitative studies, it is important to note that the researchers play a role in the production and interpretation of qualitative data. Consequently, to make it clear to the readers of this thesis, we as “researchers” inevitably play a role in the production and

interpretation of data. With this said, it is of course among our research ambitions to make the research as objective as possible.

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3.3 Sample

Our sample consists of individuals who have left an established company to go work for a startup. We conducted twelve interviews with twelve individuals. Several of the interviewees were employed at the same startup, hence there are seven startups included in the sample. Our sampling frame consisted of ad-hoc sampling, also known as convenience sampling. The main purpose of convenience sampling is to allow researchers to get information from easily accessible subjects (Etikan, 2016). This method was chosen to be the most appropriate as we wanted to have a broad sampling frame but still have certain criteria to ensure that the participants had the proper experience to answer our questions. Etikan (2016) explains that the rationale behind convenience sampling is that researcher has a certain set of criteria and choose subjects depending on their eligibility and include those that meet the criteria in the research. Criteria that may be used depend on the type of research conducted, however, in this thesis we explicitly looked for subjects that had previously worked at an established company and left that position to work for a startup. Therefore, participants must have made this transition to qualify for our research. Moreover, candidates were excluded if they i) were unemployed before they started working for a startup, or ii) got employed at the startup after they left school. The rationale behind this decision was that unemployed people may have different motives to work for a startup. Specifically, the need for income might to a higher extent motivate unemployed people which make them less inclined to turn down a job

opportunity, regardless of the type. Secondly, students were excluded because they are new to the workforce and may have different motives, similar to unemployed people, as to why they would start working at a startup.

Matters of accessibility, availability, and willingness to participate of subjects were all factors that shaped our sample frame. The matter of availability was also strongly influential in our decision of whom to sample as the current Covid-19 situation made it more difficult to persuade people to participate. Therefore, all subjects that were willing and fulfilled our criteria were offered to partake in our research and contribute to our findings.

3.4 Data Collection

The basis for finding the data was initially proximity in terms of geography, also, it was important to find a startup-hub with a rich portfolio of startups to contact. This was important mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, it was expected that employees are time-pressured and thus may have limited time to allocate to our research. Secondly, there was a

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considerable risk that individuals would be uninterested in participating in our research. Hence, reaching out to a startup-hub with a rich portfolio of startups was crucial for us in order to have a sufficient number of participants in our research. Chalmers Ventures,

Gothenburg, was initially determined to be the best match to the research ambitions due to its rich portfolio of startups. However, the geographical scope was extended to cover all of Sweden to accelerate the process of finding candidates. The interviewees were approached by email. Twelve interviews were conducted with people in the ages 30, 32, 37, 39, 40, 40, 41, 41, 42, 45, 47, and 53. All interviews were held via Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangout due to the current Covid-19 situation. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner. Semi-structured interviews permit conversation between the different actors, and its flexible nature being especially suited to finding out “why” questions (Fylan, 2005). Asking open-ended questions and responding in real-time to the answers, enables a rich understanding of the responses. Furthermore, open-question and conversation facilitate an interviewing environment that simplifies exploring contradictions, alignments, and interesting directions the responses might lead. If a contradiction is identified, the structure of the interview allows the researchers to pursue this in detail.

Individual interviewing made the interviewees more likely to feel comfortable, and allows them to communicate unhindered. Worth acknowledging however, is that the interviews were mainly conducted in Swedish. Which means that there may be a risk that certain information got lost in translation as we later transcribed the interviews to English. On the other hand, because Swedish is the native language of most of the sample as well as for the researchers, there was no language barrier in most interviews and this is thought to strengthen the communication. Out of the twelve interviews, two of them were conducted in English, the remaining ten were conducted in Swedish.

The interviews started with background information about the interviewee, who they are, what they have done previously, to establish rapport between the parties involved. After the initial couple of interviews, a few questions were revised to increase clarity of what is being asked. Furthermore, the first interviews revealed several drivers of satisfaction at the startup, and drivers of dissatisfaction at the established company. Accordingly, questions were added that took advantage of this revelation. The interviews lasted for 30-50 minutes. Active note taking on important content during the interviews were taken, in addition to recording the interviews. After the interview, the conversation was transcribed and translated.

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3.5 Data Analysis

After the interviews, the content was transcribed and translated from the recordings of the sessions. Much of the essential information provided by interviewees was captured by real-time note-taking consisting of summaries and paraphrases. To limit reliability concerns, however, all information was gathered in text. This is to ensure that the notes taken accurately reflects the information shared during the interview. After transcribing and translating the data, the amount of information was abundant. Subsequently, the method of data reduction was adopted. At this stage, the analysis of the data consists of writing

summaries to make the abundant data comprehensible (Miles & Huberman, 1994). First, the data were analyzed separately, which means we examined and interpreted the findings separately to form individual perceptions and viewpoints. Consequently, this approach enabled the authors to form their perception of the findings and analyze it without influences from others. Thereafter, we shared our analysis with each other to identify emerging themes and concepts. At this point, we applied the constant comparative method. The method consists of four stages, according to Glaser (1965), which are (1) comparing incidents applicable to each category, (2) integrating categories and their properties, (3) delimiting the theory, and finally (4) writing the theory. The interviews were analyzed by firstly coding the data to identify and compare incidents. Once the coding had been done we grouped the codes by their properties and sorted them into emerging themes. The themes were then compared and connected to each other to form relationships that informed our theorizing. Three main themes were formed which included the many themes identified by our coding. For instance, several attributes were connected to the entrepreneurial factor of being employed at a startup which emerged as a main theme. Subcategories were then also formed since several findings could be connected to entrepreneurship, such as challenges and learning opportunities. The constant comparative method suited the research aims in that it provided a basis for

systematically organizing, comparing, and understanding the differences and similarities from the stories told. Lastly, the theory written in the upcoming findings-section was based on the emerging themes and patterns that the process resulted in.

3.6 Limitations of Methodology

Qualitative research has generally been critiqued for lacking ways of assessing the quality and robustness of the findings (Leung, 2015). Subjectivity among the researchers can greatly impact how the data is interpreted and collected which may lead to a lack of trust and

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to consider biases and the impact it may have on the validity of the research. In our research, the possibility of skewed or inaccurate interpretations being presented was partly mitigated by allowing the interviewees to first get an understanding of our subject. For instance, the purpose of our research, how the data would be used and explaining the concept of

anonymity to our subjects may increase the validity of the responses (Brink, 1993). However, both interviewees and researchers are subject to biases which can make validity more

difficult to ensure fully. Consequently, a limitation of our research is that biases, either research or informant bias, may interfere with the analyses of the findings, thus

compromising the trustworthiness of data.

Furthermore, the sample frame used in this research was quite broad and included subjects from many different industries which may present itself as a limitation. It may limit our understanding of valued attributes in certain industries as these may vary depending on which sector the startup operates in. However, due to our purpose of investigating why employees seek employment in startups, a broad sampling frame was appropriate as our research was not limited to a specific industry. Thus, our research is more concerned with investigating

employee motivation and valued attributes at startups, rather than exploring a certain industry and its attractiveness to employees.

3.7 Ethical Considerations

Several measures were taken to ensure the trustworthiness and ethicality of this thesis. The results are communicated honestly with full transparency. All participants willingly agreed to be interviewed, without any provided incentive to do so. To respect the privacy of the

participants as well as the firm they work with, no names will be included in relation to this research. In addition to these considerations, the interviews were conducted via Skype, Zoom or Google Hangout to ensure the safety of the participants and comply with the WHO

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4.0 Findings and Analysis

_________________________________________________________________________

This section will report the findings of the thesis. Moreover, the section also includes an analysis of the findings. Firstly, the entrepreneurial factor is discussed and its importance for the transition. Thereafter, drivers of dissatisfaction, which shows drivers that the

interviewees experienced negatively at the established company, and how the absence of these drivers at the startup resulted in satisfaction. Lastly, appreciation will be explored to understand drivers of personal motivation and how it is experienced in startups.

_________________________________________________________________________

4.1 Entrepreneurial Factor

___________________________________________________________________________

This section will discuss an attribute not mentioned in the reviewed research which proved to be very important when making a transition to a startup. Furthermore, the risk and

challenges involved in working in a startup and how that can contribute to learning and personal development will be discussed.

___________________________________________________________________________

Results from the interviews show that employees at startups are motivated by building a company and being entrepreneurial, which is a theme we refer to as the entrepreneurial factor. The entrepreneurial factor is linked to self-actualization in the sense that the interviewees seemed discontent with something at their previous employment (Maslow, 1943). This caused them to transition to a startup as they were not fitted for the previous employment or in a strive to become the best one can be. A vast majority of the interviewees expressed that they have a sense of building something at the startup and felt that was

motivating compared to their previous employment at an established company. One interviewee described it as “I like working in a startup business because when you see the

organization grow you know that you are a part of it, you are one of the authors of the things that are in there right now comparing to an organization whose processes are in place already and you are just following what has been installed already” and when asked if that is

motivating he responded ”Yes”. This response indicates that the person was discontent with the processes at the previous employment and transitioned to the startup as it was a better fit to become the best he can be and become “One of the authors”. The indication is strongly in line with the final step of Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs. Several answers were similar

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to this and many described their employment in the startup as a “Journey” and that building a company is the “Funniest thing there is”. This strongly indicates that the feeling of being entrepreneurial and having a sense of building something is a very strong motivator for the transition from stable company to a startup and could be an example of a motivating factor from Herzberg et al.,’s (1993) motivation hygiene theory. Out of the eleven who had a sense of building something at a startup, four did not only believe it was motivating but the main reason they took the position, one respondent answered the question if building something and being entrepreneurial is motivating: “That is crucial, that is why I am here. I am here to

build a company without having the ultimate responsibility”. Close to all of the interviewees

expressed the sense of building something as a motivator and several of them claimed it to be decisive. This is a strong indicator that being entrepreneurial and having a sense of building something is of high importance in the transition from stable employment in an established company to a startup.

The feeling of being entrepreneurial or having a sense of building something is not mentioned in the literature reviewed as an important attribute. It could, as previously stated, be linked to the motivation theories of Maslow (1943) and Herzberg et al., (1993) but there is no

recognition of this attribute as important. The result of this research argues that it is an

important factor that should be taken into account. There are differences between startups and well-established businesses in the context of being entrepreneurial. Processes and routines are often set in established companies, which according to the interviewees seemed to limit the ability to be entrepreneurial. However, our research suggests that established companies could benefit from letting the employees be more entrepreneurial as it clearly is motivating for the people in this research.

4.1.1 Risk

One interviewee mentions that she does not want to have the ultimate responsibility and that could be an indicator that employees in a startup want to run businesses and be

entrepreneurial, but they are not willing to accept the full risk that ownership would imply. There is a risk of working in a startup, something most interviewees acknowledge but the risk of owning a startup is greater. Interviewees explicitly express that there is a risk involved when working in a startup, “It was a big step for me to switch from an established company, the secure, to the startup which by no means is secure”, “In a startup business the

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of working in a startup business because the risk is very high”. This begs the question of why someone would leave stable employment in an established company to go work in a startup with a higher risk for less salary, which is the case for a majority of the interviewees. Related to this question is the age of the individuals taking the risk of transitioning to a startup. These individuals might be in different stages of their careers and have different obligations they have to consider, for example, children. It is probable that young people would be more accepting to risk and a decrease in salary as the likelihood of them having responsibilities like children is less. Also, it is probable that young people seek employment in startups as the requirement of experience is not the same as in established companies. This relates to startups having more difficulties recruiting qualified labor as their organizational awareness is not comparable to established companies. This could potentially result in a high degree of young employees as they might not have another choice. Individuals with children or other types of responsibilities might not afford to make this transition because of the risk and the likelihood of a decreased salary. However, the results indicate that older people are inclined to make this transition as well, despite the various responsibilities that come with age. The age of the twelve interviewees was between 30 and 53. The answer as to why these people chose to make the transition and accept the risk and the chance of decreased salary is complex and contains several factors. One factor, of course, is that other attributes of the job potentially outweigh the risk and decreased salary, for instance, development or the entrepreneurial factor. This is related to the interviewees explanation regarding compensation, that they are satisfied with being able to pay for their ongoing costs, like a house, children, etc. and can refrain from luxury. Hence, the age of interviewees does not seem to matter in relation to risk, provided their salary is sufficient to cover the ongoing cost, which will be further discussed in the compensation section. In addition, the results of the research indicate that there are other reasons for disregarding the risk associated with startup involvement. Two of the reasons found in the research are a strong belief in the product/service of the company and the precautionary actions taken by some interviewees.

When asked if they believed their involvement in the startup was risky, four people answered that their belief in the product/service made them disregard the risk, while admitting along with the others that there is a risk. One respondent answered the question of risk with: “It is very few who say that what we do is not a good idea, that we should shut down because we are not needed, then it would be a totally different situation”. Another respondent said that “The product is so unique, so good, it has to be possible to do something good with this. So

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that is why I wanted to work at the startup” and this indicates that a strong belief in the product/service can make people disregard the risk of working in a startup.

The research showed that there are other reasons for disregarding the risks besides belief in the product. That reason is precautions that some respondents had taken if they were to lose their employment at the startup. There was one interviewee who disregarded the risk based on the fact that she would get A-Kassa (Swedish unemployment insurance) if she were to lose the employment, “It is a risk I am willing to take. If they need to lay me off, then I have A-Kassa”. Hence, she was willing to take the risk because she had something to fall back on and still get paid if she were to be laid off. Another respondent said that she: “Does not have trouble getting employment, I have recruiters calling me at least once a month and I am not even in the market for a job” which indicates that she disregards the risk because she can easily get another employment. Some interviewees disregarded the risks because they had calculated that they would be alright if they were to lose the employment and answered the question of risk with answers like: “Not really. Not in this case. Since I have calculated the numbers”. This goes to show that while admittedly there are risks in working in a startup, people can take precautions to prevent or minimize the risks, thus making the involvement in the startup less of a risk.

4.1.2 Challenges

Leaping into a startup where procedures and processes are not set could be considered a challenge as it requires more from the individual. In an established company, processes and procedures are most often set which allows the employees to simply do what has been proven successful for the company in the past. In contrast, employees at startups need to find the best way to perform tasks themselves and cannot follow previously successful procedures, which creates a challenge for them. The interviewees were asked about their thoughts on challenges and whether they enjoyed a challenging environment or not. The result was somewhat mixed. Nobody stated it to be nonessential with challenges at work but they did state that it may not be a key motivator for them. Interestingly, in the responses, we found that several of the interview subjects describe challenges as a necessity in order not to get bored. For instance, one said: “If there is no challenge there it becomes boring so challenges are really

important”. Another stated: “I need challenges in order to stay at the same job for long”. Two interviewees even described the lack of challenges as a key reason why they left their

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old jobs, saying that “I left my old company because there were no challenges”. Therefore, challenges were important for most interviewees although some state it to be a necessity rather than motivating by itself. Earle (2003) found that an environment that challenges and motivates people was a valued attribute among employees, However, worth acknowledging is that Earle (2003) believed compensation to be the most valued attribute, not challenges. Furthermore, Szamosi (2006) and Michael et al., (2001) also found in their research, among other things, that challenging and interesting work to be a valued attribute. Thus, our findings seem to support the findings of Earl (2003) and Szamosis (2006). Interestingly, our results may indicate that while challenges is a valued attribute it may also be a necessity for people not to change job, a factor bolstering retention of employees rather than attraction of them.

Additionally, when asked if they feel there were more challenges in the startup compared to previous employment the answer was overwhelming “Yes”. One interviewee explained that employment in established corporations makes “It is easy to become fat and happy and that it was no challenges”. Another said that “My previous workplace had a lot of smart people that solved all the problems, and had most of the tasks already solved”. Hence, there seem to be fewer challenges at established corporations and many of the interviewees felt they are more challenged at the startup. Therefore, challenges may be an important and valued attribute among employes. However, even though not all stated it to be highly motivating it was still almost unanimously believed to be important. Hence, it may not be overly important for the attraction of employees but rather the retention of them.

4.1.3 Learning environment

From the interviews, it became evident that the involvement in a startup was more

challenging than in an established company. What also became evident is that the challenges presented in a startup did not only uphold the enjoyment of the job but also caused the

employees to learn. Thus, the importance of learning and developing in a startup compared to an established company was further explored. The results show that there was a consensus that it is very important to be able to learn at work, one interviewee said: “Absolutely, it is very important. I feel that was part of the reason I left my previous employment”. The overwhelming consensus that learning is an important attribute supports the findings of Boswell et al., (2003) and Michaels et al., (2001) who argued training and development to be important. When asked if it is important to have the chance to learn at work one interviewee responded: “Yes and that is the challenge for many startups, enable personal development

References

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