Culture creation in the early start-up phase from the founder's perspective: A case analysis of a Swedish start-up with a strong successful culture

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study was to investigate the culture creation process in a start-up. Existing theories abound on culture creation in organizations but most are based on larger and more matured organizations. These firms thrive in very different environments from a start-up. Our aim is to explore the relevance of established theories of culture creation with respect to start-ups. The focus on culture creation was confined to the mechanisms, drivers and structural considerations of the process. More specifically, we examined the role of resource allocation, selection and recruitment, the founder and structure in the culture creation process. The study looked at the case of a pioneering Swedish high-tech firm four years into operation, Glocalnet, which started out in the VoIP industry in 1998. The results showed that a broader definition of existing theory needed to be undertaken during application and the differences between theory and reality are affected not only by the size and age of the firm but also by the founder, industry type and industry stage of maturity. We conclude that it is important for founders to involve employees in the resource allocation process and rely on employees as a secondary culture champion in the firm. Lastly, in place of bureaucracy, the founder should strive to be the structure in the culture creation process.