Abstract The article presents results of research concerning identification of organization schemes and management processes that make a small construction company function efficiently and hold against other entities in local markets. It was estimated to what extent the classic principles for organization and management are realized in a small construction company. Basic for that evaluation were the Toyota management principles and the HR organization principles as gathered and quoted by Rowiński. The research was conducted with the guided interview method, supplemented by CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) survey. Based on the information gathered the characteristics of organization and management of small construction companies active in the business of finishing works were described. The most important elements presented were the owner-employee relations, scope of activities performed personally by the owner, quality assurance methods for works, scope of cooperation with other entities, mode of customer acquisition and ways in which new technologies are adopted. It was found that there is large coincidence between organizational and management principles applied in researched companies, and the rules for the Toyota manufacturing processes, slightly lower coincidence was found in case of analysis of the rules quoted by Rowiński. The research has shown the large universality of the rules found in literature – these are largely accomplished, even without owners and employees having the knowledge about their exact reading.