How To Create A Scalable, Human Culture For Startup Growth

Just a few weeks ago, Globoforce, a workplace recognition technology provider, hosted its second annual WorkHuman Conference in Orlando, Florida. The name of the conference pulls no punches – this was a gathering of thought-leaders on how an organization can be more human. So it was the perfect place for the Be Human Project.

The event featured popular personalities such as Michael J. Fox, TED Talk darlings Shawn Achor and Amy Cuddy as well as business contrarian Gary Hamel. A good portion of the wisdom of the conference, however, came from human resources influencers in attendance. Collectively, this group had sage advice to share on how startups can achieve a more intentional (even happier) culture.

Below is an excerpt from an article I wrote which appears in Entrepreneur’s Quarterly – St. Louis on how startups can achieve scale and still maintain a human culture:

A great many entrepreneurs face a tough crossroads. A business idea begins to really take shape. You have a list of clients that love you. But with the success and cash flow comes another issue, the company must now scale. It must preserve what is sacred in the culture while achieving that scale.

And the pressure to solve this is paramount to the sustainability of organizations. The expectations on a more human workplace have become more heightened. According to Boston Consulting Group, younger workers expect to be recognized for their contributions. They want respect and to know they make a difference. While those desires seem obvious for anyone, few startups have the capacity to concentrate intentionally on the human aspect of their business until issues around culture become painful.

Read the full article here, which includes six takeaways from the WorkHuman Conference.