Samsung wants to be a startup. What could go wrong?

Photo credit: Samsung.

Five guys in dark suits lining up to take a pledge, right hands raised in uniformity.

If that’s not the most un-startup-like picture I’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is.

Trouble is, the picture comes from one of the biggest tech companies in the world, and the biggest smartphone maker there is – Samsung.

Often criticized for being an authoritarian chaebol, Samsung has, for some time now, tried to relax its corporate culture to fit into the new age world populated by the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus.

The company said on Thursday its staff pledged to cut down on hierarchical practices, the number of meetings, and extra working hours in a “Startup Samsung” ceremony held at its headquarters in Suwon, South Korea.

Photo credit: Samsung.

A Reuters report said the company is also planning to adopt ideas like online discussions between business division heads and employees.

“We aim to reform our internal culture, execute as quickly as a startup company and push towards open communication and continuously innovate,” it quoted the company in a statement.

The brand has been under stress lately, trying to figure out ways to stem a decline in smartphone profits.

Pressure point

Samsung has also been under pressure to change its regimented work culture and bring innovation in products.

We aim to reform our internal culture, execute as quickly as a startup company and push towards open communication and continuously innovate.

Like every corporate head will tell you, one of biggest bumps towards generating and implementing new ideas in companies is red tape. For a tech company, that hurdle could also mean loss of market share.