Size of the company is irrelevant to me. I have found that I am happiest when I have but a single boss, and that person not only knows how to adapt people to the business and vice versa, but is also capable at least of accurately evaluating my work, even if he or she is unable to do what I do.
The worst places I have worked invariably involve a muddied chain of command, where the people with the authority to direct or redirect my work have no understanding of how or when they should do so. Often, those people are simultaneously in competition with you while you are expected to cooperate with them.
Small company size is not a guarantee of sane and rational management. Large size is not a guarantee that your bosses will be idiots. But a subunit of a larger company can fail for a much longer period of time before becoming unable to continue, so that may be what causes the perceived differential.
A dysfunctional small company fails fast. A dysfunctional unit of a large company could limp along for decades without changing. On the other side, a great small company could just never take off, and a great unit of a large company could be axed from the executive suite without any apparent reason.
The worst places I have worked invariably involve a muddied chain of command, where the people with the authority to direct or redirect my work have no understanding of how or when they should do so. Often, those people are simultaneously in competition with you while you are expected to cooperate with them.
Small company size is not a guarantee of sane and rational management. Large size is not a guarantee that your bosses will be idiots. But a subunit of a larger company can fail for a much longer period of time before becoming unable to continue, so that may be what causes the perceived differential.
A dysfunctional small company fails fast. A dysfunctional unit of a large company could limp along for decades without changing. On the other side, a great small company could just never take off, and a great unit of a large company could be axed from the executive suite without any apparent reason.