3 ways to retain a growing original start up
1. Clean house
In other words, consider what needs to change. Generally speaking, the processes that govern organizational behavior must adapt as technology changes. What worked in terms of productivity three years ago is obsolete today for the simple fact that technology has changed, which suggests that the tools and systems used to manage people must change, too.
There are a plethora of project management apps out there that handle geographically dispersed teams of different sizes (Asanaand Evernote come to mind). The variability of team location and team size thus determines the type of technology needed to not only stay up to date, but also manage people.
Whether it’s three people, 20 people, or 100, each team size necessitates its own individual management approach. Matching the inputs of human capital with their intended outputs requires different processes and management styles at each stage of the growth game.
2. Save yourself
No, not in the selfish sense, but rather identify what shouldn’t change. The principles that govern your brand and the values upon which you initially founded your startup are enduring beliefs that never grow old. Values and behaviors such as service, humility, communication and feedback only serve to improve the company and keep it alive.
When considering implementing new processes, ask yourself how they impact intangibles such as trust. In other words, will a new process build trust or deplete it? Why? If the answer is the latter, consider the longer term impact.
3. Merge the two
Now that you know what needs to change and what does not, ask yourself, “What new process will maintain the value of [blank] for [x] people?” In other words, if personal interaction has slowly weaned itself from daily activity due to sheer growth, look at your company’s current organizational processes (meetings, feedback sessions) and consider how to involve the larger population.
Scaling isn’t easy. It’s almost as if you’re starting from scratch because what works with 100 employees is completely different than what works with 1,000. Keep it simple by building upon the very elements that sparked your desire to start a business.
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