Outgrowing a Startup Culture
Or, How We Helped a Global Software Company Recalibrate Its People Strategy. Good Enough Now and Lead at Any Level teamed up to help a fast-growing software company view its startup culture in a new way. Please note that we are contractually prohibited from disclosing the name of this client due to the sensitive nature of the incident that precipitated our work with them.
Client Background
As a fast-growing, publicly traded, global software company with approximately 5,000 employees, it was not uncommon for this Client to have around 40 percent of its staff as “new hires” each year. However, this rapid growth was causing issues with the company’s startup culture and the connection between executives and their teams. An internal incident highlighted the disconnect between the organization’s stated values and its employees’ experience of the corporate culture.
Project Scope
Our team was brought in to close a key communication gap, identify root causes, and provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Specifically, we:
- conducted over one hundred interviews with employees across various departments, countries, and management levels;
- reviewed public reports and internal documents to identify critical omissions, biases, and inconsistencies;
- conducted numerous “town hall”-style meetings and group coaching sessions with primary stakeholders, employee resource groups, and leadership teams;
- prepared a comprehensive and detailed report of findings and recommendations for remediation; and
- prepared and delivered an executive summary, highlighting key findings and five categories of recommendations.
Engagement Results
Ultimately, we provided a detailed and comprehensive 63-page culture review. Inside were sweeping recommendations for creating alignment and clarity across the rapidly growing, global company. Key points of contact indicated that our work provided a three- to five-year roadmap for the client’s executive team, HR department, and other departments. The report was instrumental in prioritizing internal initiatives and onboarding new executives. In short, it was time for this organization to leave its startup culture in the past and embrace its success.
