Scaling teams while preserving culture
Scaling a team successfully isn’t just about hiring fast, it’s about sustaining the values, trust and psychological safety that drive long-term success. Growth should strengthen culture, not erode it.
In my recent Culture Corner podcast conversation with Dileep Marway, a leader with extensive experience in building and scaling high-performing teams, we explored how companies can grow without losing their cultural identity.
“Culture isn’t just what leadership tells people it should be. It’s what employees experience every day and what they protect without needing permission. If leaders aren’t intentional, growth can dilute culture instead of strengthening it”
So, how can leaders scale teams while preserving culture?
Hiring with intent: laying the right foundation
Growth creates urgency, but hiring just to fill roles can unravel a strong culture. At The Economist, early recruitment focused on strategic selection, bringing in individuals who aligned with company values, not just technical skill.
“We weren’t just hiring for talent. We were hiring for mindset, for people who could add to our culture and make it stronger. That early investment made all the difference as we scaled.”
Actionable insights:
· Implement a value-driven hiring framework that prioritises cultural fit alongside competency.
· During interviews, ask behavioural questions that reveal candidates' collaboration styles and leadership tendencies.
· Ensure culture-building is a core part of onboarding, reinforcing shared values from day one.
Culture as a collective effort: team ownership
At first, culture is shaped by leadership. But as teams grow, employees must take ownership upholding shared values without needing top-down enforcement.
Dileep described how culture evolved at The Economist:
“The best sign of a strong culture is when employees themselves challenge behaviours that don’t align, not because leadership tells them to, but because they genuinely care. That’s when you know culture is embedded.”
Actionable insights:
· Encourage team led culture building through workshops, shared commitments and open discussions.
· Create peer accountability models, where employees uphold values and challenge misalignments.
· Recognise culture champions, celebrating individuals who actively reinforce positive team behaviours.
Embedding culture in everyday practices
Culture can’t thrive in a document or presentation; it must be lived in daily interactions. At The Economist, employees signed shared value statements, participated in team meals and engaged in collaborative rituals that built a strong sense of belonging.
Actionable insights:
· Design team traditions that make values tangible, like storytelling sessions, reflection meetings or symbolic commitments.
· Embed culture building exercises into team routines and leadership engagements.
· Ensure workplace rituals evolve as the team scales to adapt to new challenges without losing authenticity.
Leadership blind spots: what senior leaders often miss
Many leaders assume their culture is intact, but don’t actively track whether employees feel connected to it.
Dileep warned that silence isn’t necessarily alignment:
“One of the biggest mistakes I see is leaders thinking everything is fine because no one is complaining. But silence doesn’t mean engagement, it often means people have checked out, and that’s far worse.”
Without intentional culture building, growing teams can become fragmented, and employees may stop feeling psychologically safe to speak up or contribute fully.
Actionable insights:
· Regularly assess cultural health through engagement surveys and candid team discussions.
· Watch for early warning signs of disengagement, such as reduced collaboration, risk aversion or lack of innovation.
· Encourage unfiltered employee feedback, ensuring people feel safe to challenge leadership decisions without fear.
The importance of micro-cultures in larger teams
Culture doesn’t scale perfectly across every function; micro-cultures form within departments. Leaders must ensure core values remain consistent, even as teams develop their own identity.
Dileep shared how The Economist managed subcultures across different global teams:
“Each team had its own micro-culture, but the underlying values of trust, collaboration and ownership remained the same. We didn’t force uniformity we embraced differences while keeping the foundation intact.”
Actionable insights:
· Develop subculture alignment strategies to preserve core values while embracing functional nuances.
· Create cross team cultural sync ups, where different departments share insights and reinforce shared values across functions.
· Recognise culture diversity within the organisation rather than trying to enforce uniformity, this strengthens innovation and adaptability.
Leadership modelling culture: actions over words
Culture isn’t just about policies; it’s about leadership behaviours. At The Economist, senior leaders rejected hierarchical perks, sat alongside their teams and actively advocated for employee needs.
Dileep emphasised that small gestures mattered:
“One of our leaders refused to have a separate office. He said, ‘Culture only works if it’s real, so I’ll sit with everyone.’ That spoke louder than any policy or announcement.”
Actionable insights:
· Leaders should demonstrate culture through action, not just messaging.
· Reject rigid hierarchies that create unnecessary distance between leadership and teams.
· Reinforce employee-first leadership, making workplace well-being a priority, not a side initiative.
Conclusion
Scaling a team isn’t just about hiring, it’s about preserving the shared values that made it successful in the first place.
By focusing on the key areas covered by Dileep, leaders can preserve and strengthen their workplace culture as they grow. Successful teams aren’t just measured by their size; they’re measured by their commitment to the values that define them.