Our rapid growth period put pressure on our teams and processes, but we retained our people well through this period. It's a testament to the work we’d put into strengthening and preparing the organization for scaling. It did not, however, stop people from worrying that what felt so good might disappear one day.
This is a common concern from successful young organizations. People flee to them from the large corporations, hoping to find sanctuary. The talented people make the business successful, they have to hire more people, build more infrastructure and, slowly but surely, create the large hamster wheel they were so keen to escape in the first place.
What Is Culture?
If you’re talking about an organization, culture is often articulated as "the way we do things around here." I believe it’s more about the way of life in a place. The difference is nuanced. One implies the culture is static, and the other takes a more organic approach, leaving room for growth and evolution.
Culture is made up of the beliefs, values, stories, rituals and even artifacts or icons that are shared over time. For any organization, the shared values held by the people who work there are intrinsic to identity and performance. They dictate how they will react to change and how they will perform. It’s always the implicit shared values, not the stated ones, that have the biggest impact. Writing your values on the wall of your office will not be enough to influence your culture.
How Do You Keep The Good Bits?
When people talk about preservation, they’re often talking about their fear of change. In many offices, it’s not unusual to hear the echoing refrain, "This is the way we’ve always done it."
Culture isn’t about completely rethinking your shared values every time someone new starts; it’s about the integration of the old and the new. When two companies merge, this is a formal process. In a growing organization, however, this can be an organic process — provided there is guidance. If you want to maintain core values, it’s a good idea to have some guardians who can guide integration. It doesn’t have to be the people who arrange your social events or your people practices, but as the most tangible outward display of the types of rituals, routines and general "way of life," they’re a good choice.
The Cultural Evolution
Having clear values does help, but rather than have these written on a wall, it’s wise to embed them into your practices. At Beyond, we treat them as a kinetic language. They’re ingrained in everything we do. We also have frameworks for our diverse social events and initiatives, with many routes to input. An evolving culture only works if people are heard.
Internal Communications Group
Internal communication is often underappreciated. In a company with multiple locations, it can’t be overlooked. Internal communication is vital for information sharing. It also acts as a clear signpost for those who wish to give and receive feedback.
Diversity And Inclusion Councils
Made up of a rotating selection of people, D&I councils are an incredible way to make sure many voices are heard — in a way that’s not influenced by the company agenda. They also help tackle exclusivity in processes or initiatives.
Inclusive Social And Culture Strategy
It may feel like an afterthought, but taking your social and culture strategy seriously has a big impact. This can be as simple as breaking out your events into streams, recognizing that no single event caters to all. For example, our firm has the four C's: culture, caring, cheap thrills and cutting loose. This quarter, the caring team is focusing their efforts on volunteering, choosing homelessness as their cause. Cutting loose involves monthly after-work outings, with culture focusing on talks and exhibitions. Cheap thrills helps us have fun a little closer to home. Most recently, they helped us celebrate Valentine’s Day in the office as the alternative "Friendship Day," a Finnish tradition.
Guiding Values
Making ethical decisions is a choice, as is making decisions that fit with the overall ethos of your organization. Values aren’t the solve-all for culture, but they are a guiding light for those moments when there are two paths to choose from.
How Can You Measure Culture?
Culture is difficult to truly measure. In reality, it shouldn’t be something that is quantified, since it’s constantly shifting. What can be measured is the impact that culture has on your people and your organization. You can do this through two things: employee engagement (eNPS) and business performance (revenue, profit and productivity).
Summary
The truth about culture is that it evolves. Made up of the collective behaviors, rituals and stories of your people, it progresses as your company progresses. And who you hire directly impacts your culture. You want to take on people who will build on your current ways of working. This doesn’t mean have a "people like us" policy. In fact, it’s the opposite. Hire people who are diverse, talented and passionate — people who will challenge the status quo. Progression comes from innovation and unfreezing the current state of play. So the next time someone mentions preserving the culture, try to help them evolve that mindset.
