“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” — Steve Jobs
Creating the Foundation for a Scalable Culture
Scaling a tech team brings unique challenges. How do you ensure your culture doesn’t dilute as you grow? How do you keep innovation and ownership alive as more people join? The best tech companies balance freedom with alignment, empowering their teams to bring their best ideas to the table without restrictive hierarchies.
In the early days of a team, culture tends to form organically. But as we grow, this organic culture needs intentional nurturing to sustain. My approach to this process has drawn from industry giants like Spotify and Airbnb, as well as the perspectives of innovators like Ed Catmull from Creativity Inc.. Here are some principles that have proven effective:
1. Empower Ownership, Minimize Control
At Pixar, Ed Catmull established the “Braintrust” meetings where directors and animators could freely critique each other’s work to improve it, without ego or hierarchy. This kind of structure builds a culture where every voice counts, ideas can be freely explored, and learning is constant.
In our own team, I've found that creating regular check-in points where everyone feels safe to pitch in can lead to breakthroughs. Let the team decide on the “how,” so long as they’re aligned with the “why.” Ownership doesn’t mean management relinquishes oversight; it means encouraging intelligent risks and supporting the team through challenges.
Tips for Empowering Ownership:
- Set up open-format sessions (like “idea incubators”) where people share ongoing work or new ideas and receive feedback from peers.
- Reward and recognize problem-solving efforts that take initiative, regardless of the outcome.
- Rotate team leads for key projects to foster varied leadership experiences and a shared understanding of team goals.
2. Aligning Sales and Engineering
For a tech company focused on growth, collaboration between sales and engineering is non-negotiable. Some of the best features in top apps are the result of constant cross-functional feedback loops. For instance, Meta’s engineering teams hold regular check-ins with product managers, adapting features based on direct insights from market research and user feedback.
To build this bridge, establish “micro-syncs”—informal, short sessions where engineering and sales team leads share highlights and pain points. Engineers gain a clearer picture of what users need and understand the “why” behind their code, while sales teams get insights into upcoming features and limitations.
Practical Ideas for Sales-Tech Alignment:
- Schedule quarterly “deep-dive” sessions for engineers and salespeople to walk through current projects, learn about customer needs, and hear each team’s priorities.
- Create shared channels or communication hubs to exchange quick updates and relevant insights without requiring formal meetings.
- Encourage engineers to attend sales calls occasionally to understand the customer voice directly and how their work impacts user experience.
3. Focus on Processes that Foster Growth, Not Bureaucracy
When growing a team, you’ll feel the temptation to over-process. Resist it! The goal is to establish rituals and repeatable practices that sustain creativity and efficiency without burying people in red tape. Drawn from The Culture Code, creating moments of shared celebration and clear, candid feedback goes a long way.
Establishing rituals like monthly retrospectives and weekly highlights can offer consistent opportunities for everyone to share what’s working, where they’re struggling, and what could be improved. This doesn’t just help in aligning teams but also cultivates a feedback-rich environment, critical for sustained growth.
Ideas for Growth-Oriented Processes:
- Hold “show and tell” sessions for teams to present small projects, discuss tech challenges, and gain recognition.
- Use lightweight retrospectives to get honest feedback from the team and identify minor adjustments to avoid bottlenecks.
- Host “fail forward” presentations where people can share project mistakes openly. Celebrating what’s learned from failure can build a stronger, more resilient team.
Top comments (0)