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Workplace culture is at a crossroads. Companies are facing the dual challenge of sustaining growth while supporting their employees amid growing concerns about burnout and mental health — what some have called “The Great Depletion”.
In January 2024 SHRM report highlights how businesses are increasingly investing in mental health benefits to address these challenges, yet many employees still struggle to find the balance. At the same time, debates over hybrid and remote work continue, with companies like Amazon facing backlash for mandates of return to office. These trends underscore a universal truth: Scaling a company's culture is as complex as it is critical. As businesses grow, maintaining a thriving, values-driven environment becomes one of the most difficult challenges leaders face.
In Tinuiti, this challenge has been a constant companion in our journey. What began two decades ago as a five-person team, driven by a vision to put people first, has grown into one of the largest independent full-funnel performance marketing agencies in USA Through it all, we've learned that culture is not static. — must evolve along with your business to meet the needs of your people and your goals.
Here are five key lessons we've learned to navigate their complexities scaling culture staying grounded in our core values.
Related: What makes a great company culture (and why it matters)
1. Recognize that culture must evolve
One of the biggest challenges in scaling culture is resisting the urge to cling to the way things were in the past. If we tried to replicate the energy and benefits of our original small team, we would be ignoring the needs of the thousands of employees we have today. As companies grow, culture must evolve to serve the greater good, not just individual preferences.
According to Harvard Business Review Research73% of employees report that working in an office feels more expensive than before the pandemic, and nearly half believe that back-to-office mandates prioritize leadership preferences over employee needs. Forward-thinking companies are addressing these concerns by reimagining benefits—offering solutions like telecommuting pay, caregiver support, and even housing subsidies to ease the burdens associated with office work.
By recognizing that benefits and policies must be adapted to match evolving employee priorities, organizations can avoid alienating their workforce and ensure that their culture scales effectively alongside their operations.
2. Know when to evolve and when to change
Understanding the difference between evolution and change is critical. Evolution involves gradual improvements, while change requires a transformative change. In Tinuit, this distinction has been vital to maintaining ours adaptable culture and strong, especially when dealing with our compensation system.
Initially, we used a direct, individual-centric model, which worked well for our small, single-channel agency. However, as we grew into an integrated multi-channel operation, it became clear that this model did not fully support the collaborative and cross-functional work we were doing. To address these challenges, we've restructured our approach several times, evolving and implementing bold changes to better align with our culture and goals.
Most recently, we launched Project Simplifi, an agency-wide reorganization designed to balance individual achievement with team-based success. This evolution helps employees continue to earn competitively while gaining new opportunities for role and career growth within Tinuiti's expanding framework. By reinforcing our culture of ownership, this model fosters a sense of shared success, aligning employee growth as the business grows.
3. Exit the echo chamber
The older you get, the harder it is to have an honest view of reality. Leadership often finds itself at the center of two opposing forces. On the one hand, people may hold back, providing only selective feedback to avoid upsetting management or protecting the CEO from bad news. On the other hand, the “squeaky wheel” effect can distort perceptions, as the loudest voices dominate conversations, often without the full context needed to resolve underlying issues.
To counter these challenges, leaders must actively seek different perspectives and make sure communication flows both ways. For example, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai conducts regular town hall meetings and employee surveys to gather insights and address concerns. During these meetings, Pichai often faces difficult questions from employees, such as the address reducing company costs measures or clarification of organizational priorities, as highlighted in recent municipalities.
Despite the challenges, these candid conversations help create an environment where employees feel their voice matters and foster trust through transparency.
Related: How to create a work culture where everyone has a voice
4. Embrace change but hold fast to core values
As leaders, our role is to create an environment where change is understood and not feared. Not every change will feel good; some will push people out of their comfort zones. However, when core values remain strong and consistently visible, teams are better equipped to navigate these shifts with resilience.
As culture evolves to reflect the challenges and opportunities facing an organization, values provide the foundation that anchors decision-making and behavior. They define the principles that guide actions, ensuring that even when processes and strategies change, the organization remains true to what matters most.
Sprout Social provides a powerful example of how values can anchor organizations during the interruption. Just three months before the global health crisis, Sprout went public, gaining new capital and momentum. But when the pandemic hit, the newly public company had to adapt quickly.
Building on its core principles — communication, accountability and care — Sprout gave employees the tools to transition to remote work and supported customers through uncertainty. These actions not only helped Sprout through the crisis, but also reinforced its culture.
The lesson for other companies? In times of rapid change, an attitude based on core values can guide decision-making, strengthen culture and ensure resilience, even in the face of great disruption.
5. Be the chief commemorative officer
As a leader, it's your job to constantly remind the team of your company's core values. This may seem repetitive, but it is essential to keep those values alive and actionable. Without reinforcement, values risk becoming empty corporate slogans. In Tinuit, tRANSPARENCY it's one of our guiding principles, and we make it a daily practice through open communication channels like huddles, LinkedIn posts, and office hours.
Transparency, however, isn't just about sharing information—it's about creating accountability. For example, during a recent office hour, we discussed what “appropriate transparency” means: Sharing enough knowledge that employees feel like owners without overwhelming them with unnecessary details. I often ask the team, “How does this information help you improve customer outcomes?” These questions reinforce transparency as more than just a corporate value – it's a strategic tool for empowerment.
By embedding these discussions into daily practices, we ensure that transparency remains an intentional and meaningful part of our Ownership Culture, helping employees align their work with the company's broader mission.
After all, scaling a company is hard. Scaling a crop is complex. Do you do both at the same time? That's the ultimate challenge—and it gets harder as your organization grows, connecting with your culture that increasingly relies on others to drive it forward.
Don't assume culture will scale on its own. A bloom ownership culture it requires intention, action and a constant stream of reminders. If I could offer one piece of advice to leaders, it's this: You can't please everyone when you scale—appreciate direct constructive criticism and don't take personally the vocal minority who hide behind anonymity, and the traditionalists who resist change. . And remember, the rewards of building a culture that grows with your company far outweigh the challenges.
Judge yourself if you stayed true to your values. In my case, performance over politics, experience over opinion, “we” over “me,” transparency over fragility, and most importantly, actually helping people make performative gestures.
Success is reflected in shared results – employees who thrive in their lives and careers, loyal customers whose businesses thrive, and stakeholders who achieve their goals. When all three are aligned, your culture will thrive. A culture of scaling is a continuous process of listening, adapting and reinforcing what matters most.