For many entrepreneurs, achieving hypergrowth is a goal. However, it is important to be aware of the challenges that lie ahead during this phase of high and rapid growth. Preserving your corporate culture is one of the priority issues to consider during this period: if you are not vigilant enough, there is a risk of losing your identity and the trust of your employees. Here we will define hypergrowth and the challenges it generates within organizations for you. We will then give you our advice to maintain your corporate culture as much as possible during this phase.
Hypergrowth: definition
The hypergrowth of a company is generally associated with a very significant increase in its turnover, its profit and/or the number of employees. This increase is of the order of at least 30% to 40% over three or four: it is therefore a long-term phenomenon.
Hyper-growing companies are often start-ups in the digital, industrial or even health fields. They can also be SMEs, or more rarely large groups.
The transition to hypergrowth can be caused by a sudden increase in demand, a strong evolution of the market (linked to legislation for example), an innovation or by an increase in available financial resources (most often a fundraiser).
The challenges associated with hypergrowth in business
While the fact that a company is rapidly developing its turnover may seem positive, it should be noted that this has a strong influence on its general organization. Major challenges are then faced in order to maintain balance and manage this growth phase correctly.
Adapting to material constraints
First of all, it is essential not to deteriorate the working conditions of your employees during this period. The size of your premises must be perfectly adapted to the number of people who work face-to-face and everyone must have the material elements necessary for the proper execution of their tasks. It is generally essential to anticipate the volume of future recruitments in order to choose an appropriate location.
You must also prepare properly for the development of production tools and possibly consider subcontracting part of your production to a trusted partner.
Recruit according to your workload
Hypergrowth can easily bring a rapid increase in workload for your teams. So be careful that your employees are not overwhelmed by events.
A sudden and inadequate increase in the volume of work can lead to a high level of stress for your employees. They will then no longer be able to carry out their tasks properly. It is therefore essential to correctly anticipate your recruitments according to future needs.
It is imperative not to rush to hire new employees. You should allow enough time to choose suitable profiles and train them properly.
Preserving your corporate culture
Finally, one of the most significant challenges in a hypergrowth phase is that of corporate culture. The rapid hiring of new employees, the opening of offices in other cities or even countries or even the generalization of hybrid work can lead to a dilution of company culture.
The fact that employees are more numerous and distributed in different workplaces also presents significant challenges in terms of communication and information sharing. It is necessary to be aware of this.
Actions to take to maintain your corporate culture
As your business grows rapidly, it is necessary to take steps to preserve your corporate culture. Without this, your oldest employees may no longer find themselves in your operation and may no longer be as committed as before. Exits could also increase and a turnover rate that is too high could be very harmful for your business. Here are a few things to work on.
Focus on your values
Values define your business, and it's extremely important not to set them aside during the hypergrowth phase. It may be necessary to redefine them and especially to communicate them with your employees. They should be central and should be considered in each of your decisions.
Recruiting processes must incorporate these values: it is imperative that new hires share them so that they can easily adapt to the corporate culture. Do not hesitate to encourage co-optation to recruit people who meet your expectations.
Finally, corporate culture must be instilled throughout the onboarding process, from the posting of recruitment advertisements online to the first months of taking up a job. Do not leave it aside once the employment promise is signed!
Set up appropriate means of communication
With the increase in staff, effective communication is becoming a real challenge. It is therefore necessary to invest in tools that allow this to be done effectively and transparently with all employees. This may involve instant messengers, e-mailing campaigns, the establishment of an intranet, etc. The objective is for employees working in person at the head office, working remotely, on production sites, or abroad to all have the same level of information on priority topics.
It may be necessary to form a group of employees dedicated to this task. This investment is essential if you want to keep teams united and committed.
Use tools that promote corporate culture
Finally, you can use tools specially dedicated to commitment and corporate culture to maintain what matters most to your organization.
Teamstarter makes it possible, for example, to engage employees around projects that are important to them through a crowdfunding platform. Each month, each person allocates a budget to the project (s) of their choice. The project leader is responsible for making it a reality once the amount necessary for its realization is reached. CSR, team cohesion, innovation: projects can be very varied. This type of tool makes it possible to increase employee commitment, to establish a strong employer brand and to accentuate corporate culture. In the hypergrowth phase, it can therefore be very useful.
Hypergrowth can be an exciting goal for a business, but it often brings significant challenges to corporate culture. It is necessary to anticipate this well and to put in place actions to preserve your identity and your uniqueness. A strong corporate culture can provide numerous benefits to your business, by attracting and retaining the best employees, by promoting innovation and creativity, and by improving employee satisfaction. The implementation of measures to preserve corporate culture during a phase of hypergrowth is therefore essential to maintain one's own identity. It is also profitable in the long term.
Gisèle Sanquigro (Comex member Aeroline - Sopra Steria), Joseph BenAaron (DRH Aeroline - Sopra Steria), Thierry Luthi (President Report One), spoke about the difficulties and roles of managers in involving employees in corporate strategy. They share their experiences on the subject and give their best practices. We have put together all the interesting elements of this exchange in a summary. 👇
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