Startup/Rapid Growth Culture

Rapid growth can be exciting. It can also present real risks as organizations grapple with the struggles of startup life. Taking the time to establish and clarify a clear “right” way of doing things early on can help maintain your momentum as you scale. Not making time to establish a firm foundation can fray the system as you grow.

4 Things to Know When Scaling Startup Culture

Here are a few considerations to be intentional about creating a culture that will best serve your organization as you grow.

1. It starts with a solid foundation.

Managing the tension between flexibility and a solid foundation for growth can be challenging. But, setting a firm set of expectations can help ensure your team doesn’t come into work to find a completely different animal every morning.

2. Culture is a collective concept.

Being inclusive from the start helps your team build a personal connection to what’s most important. This means involving all of your team members in conversations about the company values and growth strategy. Although your company’s culture is heavily rooted in your personal values, there are more and more people influencing the way work gets done as the organization grows. The better they understand the boundaries for their behavior and the deeper “why” behind what you do, the better equipped they will be to evolve the culture in ways that keep you most relevant in the market.

3. Culture is not a fire and forget missile.

Taking the time to articulate what makes your organization unique, valuable and successful is never a bad idea. But culture is not a stagnant cornerstone of your company. As the environment evolves around you, it will become essential that your organization take stock of how you are adapting to stay relevant. Over time, what works today may not sustain you in the future. Organizations that keep a pulse on these changes will be better positioned to adapt in ways that launch them forward while their competitors struggle to keep up.

4. You’re not alone.

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road. At the end of the day, your name is on the bottom line. When it comes to the culture of your growing organization, understand that culture, at its most basic, is a collective concept. Although you may have a heavy influence based on your position, the culture is established and evolves based on the collective learning, collective understanding and the collective reinforcement of the company’s values. Don’t feel like it all rests on you. Engage your people in ongoing discussions about the culture, what it means to them and how it may need to evolve in order to stay competitive.

For more information about this topic download our Startup Culture eBook.

Startup Culture

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