{"id":49199,"date":"2021-09-13T01:12:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T05:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=49199"},"modified":"2021-09-20T11:06:15","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T15:06:15","slug":"growth-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Create a Growth Culture in Your Company"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How can you cultivate a growth culture in your organization? How do you give your employees the wings to fly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/visionary-company\/\">visionary company<\/a> fosters a growth culture by ensuring that employees support the company&#8217;s core philosophy\u2014and then setting them free. This autonomy allows employees to experiment, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/48-laws-of-power-law-28-enter-action-with-boldness\/\">act boldly<\/a>, make mistakes, and innovate. All of this pushes the company forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more to learn how to cultivate a growth culture in your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Cultish Practices Create a Growth Culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/building-a-positive-workplace-culture\/\">workplace culture<\/a> of a visionary company can best be described as \u201ccult-like.\u201d The word \u201ccult\u201d may have negative connotations, especially when it refers to a cult of personality, or the radical devotion to an individual. But in visionary companies, workers don\u2019t channel their devotion towards a rock-star leader; instead they channel it towards the company and what it stands for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Efforts to ensure that employees are a good fit might seem too restrictive and controlling. In a sense they are\u2014visionary companies have these measures in place to uphold their fervently held philosophies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, with cult-ish practices in place, they are not only able to preserve the core, but are also able to entrust their employees with operational autonomy. <strong>Rather than turning employees into unthinking robots, visionary companies empower them to think for themselves, innovate, and make bold moves\u2014all while strongly adhering to the core philosophy. <\/strong>When they see that employees embody what the company is all about, visionary companies give them the wings to fly.&nbsp;This is central to a growth culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, Nordstrom\u2019s employee handbook tells employees the core philosophy (\u201cto provide outstanding customer service\u201d) and gives them plenty of leeway to act as they see fit by giving only one rule: \u201cUse your judgment in all situations.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Darwinism in Visionary Companies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With operational autonomy, employees feel free to explore, experiment, and innovate\u2014within bounds\u2014which sprouts new, sometimes surprising, branches of business for visionary companies. <strong>This, along with visionary companies\u2019 willingness to make the most of unexpected opportunities, debunks the myth that visionary companies\u2019 success is wholly a result of deliberate planning.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visionary companies don\u2019t follow a plan that\u2019s set in stone. Instead, they foster a growth culture\u2014creating the environment for transformation over time in much the same way that species change. The authors liken the process to Charles Darwin\u2019s evolutionary theory, where species evolve over time through a process of \u201cvariation,\u201d changing to adapt to their environment, and then \u201cselection,\u201d wherein only the strongest variants survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While visionary companies do a fair amount of strategic planning, such as setting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/bhag-examples\/\">BHAGs<\/a>, they also make use of their own process of variation and selection, keeping the best results of their experiments and making the most of opportunities that come their way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, in 1937, Marriott found that their restaurant near Hoover Airport had many customers en route to the airport, buying meals and snacks to eat on their flights. J. Willard Marriott immediately set up a meeting with Eastern Air and arranged to deliver packed lunches for their flights. Within a few months, Marriott was catering 22 flights per day on American Airlines, eventually catering to over a hundred airports. Marriott\u2019s experiment as a result of one odd variation opened up an unexpected branch of business for the company.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Stimulate Evolutionary Progress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The research suggests that comparison companies tend to tamp down revolutionary progress, while visionary companies actively create a growth culture through the following six methods:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1) Make Room for Unplanned Variation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The research found that 12 out of 18 visionary companies gave their employees more freedom and autonomy\u2014allowing them to experiment with new products, for example\u2014versus the comparison cases. When people have the room to let their creativity run wild, they can come up with the most unexpected variations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, the first 3M laboratory was small and practically bare, but it provided enough space for employees to experiment. Here, they invented Three-M-Ite, the company\u2019s first profitable product.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2) Act Quickly<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>They don\u2019t get stuck doing long drawn-out feasibility studies or having endless meetings to decide on the next step. As long as an idea is consistent with the core ideology, visionary companies move full speed ahead. Visionary companies with a growth culture are fast on their feet\u2014when they see an opportunity, they seize it. When they hear of a customer problem, they quickly try to find a solution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, a 3M employee heard a customer complaining about how adhesive tapes didn\u2019t do a good job of separating the colors to achieve two-tone auto paint jobs. The employee proceeded to invent 3M masking tape. This marked the beginning of 3M\u2019s evolution from being just a sandpaper company.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3) Take Baby Steps<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One experiment after another, one step after another, can lead to a game-changer. It can be challenging and risky to make a major shift in the business, so take small steps in the direction you want to go. If management is iffy about backing a big project, they might be more open if you ask for permission to do an experiment to prove its feasibility.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, American Express started out as a freight company that introduced a money order service to meet a growing demand. Then, after company president J. C. Fargo encountered problems encashing letters of credit on his travels, American Express created traveler\u2019s checks. And then, at their Paris office in 1895, an employee surreptitiously opened windows to sell tickets to steamships, addressing a need of American travelers\u2014expanding American Express\u2019s business into travel.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4) Accept That Mistakes Are Part of the Process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Stimulating evolutionary progress is a continuous process of trial and error. Evolution isn\u2019t a perfect process; failed experiments (and there can be many) that don\u2019t result in new business are an inherent part of it, just as some mutations don\u2019t survive as a species evolves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, Johnson &amp; Johnson had successful experiments like Band-Aids, but also had many experiments that didn\u2019t work: Kola stimulants, ibuprofen pain relievers, and colored casts that stained hospital linens are just some of their failed ventures.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5) Build a Clock<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Visionary companies don\u2019t just <em>say<\/em> that their employees can experiment; their growth culture reinforces the idea by establishing mechanisms to encourage experimentation, product development, internal entrepreneurship, and idea dissemination. These mechanisms come in the form of targets, awards, grants, and open communication channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, 3M has the \u201c30 percent rule,\u201d expecting divisions to generate 30 percent of annual sales from new products released within the last four years. The company also gives out the Genesis Grants, which are funds earmarked for developing prototypes and market tests. And they have forums where people can share the latest products and exchange ideas.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6) Maintain the Core<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Species have a fixed genetic code. They mutate to adapt to their environments, not to become another species altogether. The same is true for visionary companies: Their core philosophy serves as the genetic code, guiding them, holding them together, and imbuing them with a purpose and spirit as they morph and evolve. While a growth culture allows for variation, a core philosophy leads to selection\u2014visionary companies choose only the things that work and that fit in with their core ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, in keeping with their core philosophy of innovation and problem-solving, 3M only selects ideas that are new, useful, and reliable\u2014solutions to real problems that people have, not just novelty items that meet no real need.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can you cultivate a growth culture in your organization? How do you give your employees the wings to fly? A visionary company fosters a growth culture by ensuring that employees support the company&#8217;s core philosophy\u2014and then setting them free. This autonomy allows employees to experiment, act boldly, make mistakes, and innovate. All of this pushes the company forward. Read more to learn how to cultivate a growth culture in your organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":49206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,79,14],"tags":[493],"class_list":["post-49199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-entrepreneurship","category-management","tag-built-to-last","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>6 Ways to Create a Growth Culture in Your Company - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Visionary companies grow by protecting their core and giving employees autonomy. Learn six ways to foster this kind of growth culture.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 Ways to Create a Growth Culture in Your Company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Visionary companies grow by protecting their core and giving employees autonomy. Learn six ways to foster this kind of growth culture.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-13T05:12:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-20T15:06:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/growth-culture.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"370\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"6 Ways to Create a Growth Culture in Your Company\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-13T05:12:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-20T15:06:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/\"},\"wordCount\":1266,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/growth-culture.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Built to Last\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\",\"Entrepreneurship\",\"Management\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/\",\"name\":\"6 Ways to Create a Growth Culture in Your Company - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/growth-culture\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/growth-culture.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-13T05:12:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-20T15:06:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Visionary companies grow by protecting their core and giving employees autonomy. 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