How to Maintain Company Culture During Growth
When searching for a new job, company culture is one of the most important things that job seekers consider.
One survey found that more than half of international respondents believed that company culture was more important than salary.
79% reported that they would consider culture before applying for a job.
As a small business or startup, company culture is an essential part of the workplace.
Shared beliefs and ethos are what will hold your business together in those early days where money is tight and the team is small.
In these early stages of development, culture comes naturally and it shouldn't be hard to maintain.
However, as the business begins to grow, cultural change can happen.
Time for keeping track of these changes can be difficult because of the constraints which come with growth.
But change is natural! It’s important to make sure that you can preserve the desirable aspects of your business culture that attracted these new team members in the first place.
You might find that the beliefs and company mission the startup was founded on have taken a backseat.
If you and your team lose sight of the business’s values and vision then keeping everyone a happy bunny can become challenging.
This is why it's vital to create strategies to maintain company culture as the business starts scaling up.
At Runway East, we've seen a lot of startups in our coworking spaces successfully grow while allowing their company culture to thrive.
Inspired by these scaling startups, we've put together an in-depth guide to help small business owners maintain and improve company culture for their fast-growing businesses.
Contents
What is company culture?
What are the benefits of a strong company culture?
Why does growth impact company culture?
What strategies can I use to maintain company culture as the organisation scales?
Conclusion
What is company culture?
Company culture can be a slightly vague term that encapsulates a lot of aspects of how an organisation functions.
At its most simple, it is 'the way we do things around here', or the shared ethos and values of an organisation.
What are the values on which your company was founded? Company culture is all about beliefs and attitudes, ethos and principles, and a vision for the future of the organisation.
Forbes writer Peter Messana describes company culture as 'anything that relates to customs and norms that naturally form within a company'.
What are the benefits of a strong company culture?
One of the biggest benefits of a positive culture in your company is that it improves employee engagement.
If you have a good culture then your team will not only love coming to work but will feel as though they have the opportunity to really get involved in implementing the vision of the company.
Everyone wants a sense of purpose in their work, and this is only possible if you have instilled the right culture into your company.
On the other hand, having a bad company culture can have the opposite effect.
A poor cultural fit can result in employees feeling uninterested in their jobs, and this can mean that tasks are either completed at the bare minimum or not at all.
Everyone drops the ball at some point, but if this becomes a regular thing then be sure you are prepared to resolve conflicts within a team.
Glassdoor found that 65% of employees said that company culture was one of the main reasons they stayed in their jobs, and 71% would start looking elsewhere for employment as a result of culture change.
Culture is therefore an important part of your startup's brand, which is essential when recruiting and retaining employees for a rapidly growing business.
Why does growth impact company culture?
If you began your startup as a team of two in your Mum’s basement and now have a full team, a snazzy office, and lots of stakeholders, it's unlikely that the culture will stay the same.
As you start scaling and hiring more people, it's easy for the culture to become diluted or change entirely.
While you don't want to lose your core mission, it's important to remember that culture change doesn't have to be a bad thing!
Some of your core values and attitudes that you founded the company with will be important to maintain as you scale.
You might also find that new employees will bring different perspectives and beliefs that can improve the entire organisation's culture.
If you want to maintain the current culture of your startup or small business, keep reading to learn some effective strategies for maintaining culture throughout business scaling!
What strategies can I use to maintain company culture as the organisation scales?
Define company culture clearly and act on it
One of the first steps to maintaining your positive company culture throughout growth is to clearly define and communicate it.
In practice, this could involve creating a presentation about the organisation's mission and values for new team members during onboarding.
Or, it could mean putting up posters that explain your ethos!
However you choose to do it, communication is key to establish and maintain the culture of your business.
Whatever you decide is an important part of organisational culture — be it mental health, environmental sustainability or an open-door policy, be sure to keep everyone in the loop!
It's also super important to make sure that those goals and values are embodied by real policies in the workplace.
A case in point is Blackbaud, a cloud-based software provider that makes software for philanthropic organisations. Driving positive social change is a core value of their organisation.
The company cements this culture at the same time as scaling by giving employees time off to volunteer, and matching employees' charity donations. Practice what you preach!
Recognise employees who embody company culture
One of the best ways to encourage a healthy corporate culture is to highlight and reward the employees who embody that culture.
Perks, employee awards and experience day giveaways are a classy touch for rewarding your team for their contributions to developing company culture!
Outdoor clothing and equipment brand Patagonia are a fantastic example of incorporating their values into their business ecology.
As it has grown, sustainability has remained a key part of Patagonia's company culture.
Not only does the brand donate a portion of its profits to environmental missions, it also trains employees in peaceful protest techniques.
It will even pay employees' bail and legal fees if they are arrested for peaceful protest!
Hire with culture in mind
To maintain the great culture you've built in your business, it's important to hire employees who are a great culture fit.
This means considering company culture when hiring as well as trying to secure the top talent.
Security platform SecureLink puts company culture at the forefront of their hiring process.
Eagerness to learn is something that the organisation values, so they recruit employees who are passionate about learning as well as those with the best experience and qualifications.
Their teams include people with backgrounds in everything from firefighting to philosophy.
The common theme? These people are great fits in a culture where learning new things and rising to challenges are highly valued.
The lesson to learn from SecureLink is that it's not always about hiring the applicant with the most impressive CV — company culture is an equally important consideration.
Conclusion
Overall, maintaining corporate culture as your business grows is extremely important for retention, recruitment, employee engagement, and business performance.
With these strategies in mind, leadership can maintain the culture that defines and drives your business.
Are you looking to move your startup to a place where your organisational culture can thrive?
We'd love to welcome you to Runway East's amazing coworking spaces in London and Bristol!
Home to an ambitious and driven community of entrepreneurs, startups, creatives, and freelancers, our coworking spaces are a great home for growing businesses.
We know the importance of having a supportive community and network, so we run frequent social events to bring people together.
We also offer a whole range of amazing perks and discounts that will make your employees love coming to work each day!
Interested? Book a viewing today and discover the new home for your business to thrive.
