The smaller an organisation is, the easier it is to articulate and cultivate alignment among employees. As the organisation grows and evolves, so too, must the culture. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; culture need not — and should not — be stagnant. The challenge however, is to allow space for your culture to evolve with the organisation, while still staying on focused on the stated purpose and values.
There are a few ways to do this:
1. Hire for fit. This is perhaps one of the most important tenets of intentional culture development. Every new addition will have his or her own interpretation of the organisational culture. So when you hire for fit, you hire employees based on the belief that they share the stated values of the organisation, and are likely to behave in alignment with said values.
2. Be introspective. Every once in awhile, you have step back and examine your organisational culture: What’s working? What isn’t working? Is something getting lost in translation? Is there some breakdown in communication? What changes are already taking place? How can you be proactive about leading the change while maintaining the integrity of your cultural foundation?
3. Skip the dogma. Resist the temptation to become dogmatic about culture and cling to the status quo. Remember that change is constant, but dogma resists evolution and cultivates stagnation. Instead of viewing the organisational culture as a set of rules that must be adhered to, consider the intention of culture as a behavioural guideline. This allows space for individual interpretation and maintains focus on the spirit of the culture, without the dogma.
4. Manage growth carefully. While it’s not always easy to predict the future with accuracy, it is possible to anticipate changes associated with rapid growth. The faster the growth of the organisation, the more important it is to be prepared for the associated challenges. Take your time onboarding new employees so that they understand where they fit into the organisation and how they can contribute to the culture.
The caveat for these tips is to stay connected to the foundation of your culture. If part of that foundation is collaboration and high-performance, you can allow the culture to evolve in alignment with those values, and based on the contributions of your staff. Using these tips just helps you be intentional about that evolution, without losing sight of your foundation, or getting stuck holding onto things that no longer work.