How to Scale Company Culture with a Growing Distributed Team

@FORBES

Scaling a growing business is difficult enough even when a team works together in one location. When a team is distributed, with many employees working remotely, scaling the company comes with an entirely different set of challenges.

If you’re an entrepreneur managing a distributed team, you might be feeling overwhelmed trying to scale the culture you’ve worked hard to build. Here, 11 professionals discuss the best ways for leaders to scale the culture of a growing company that has many remote employees.

1. Hire Individuals Who Are Self-Directed

Scaling while working remotely requires hiring individuals who are self-directed and then allowing them to lead themselves. In a distributed team, each employee is responsible for their own micro-culture. They control their physical environment and what’s happening outside of their screen. Employees who create a physical micro-culture that blends into the overall culture are most successful. - Pam Boney, Tilt 365

2. Align Your Talent Management Strategy

A comprehensive talent management strategy that is aligned to the company’s strategy and philosophy is key. From prospecting to exiting, have defined systems, processes and metrics that focus on selecting and aligning talent to the culture and values, and then optimize talent to execute the company strategy for collective results. Thus, as the company scales, so will productivity and performance. - Lori Harris, Harris Whitesell Consulting

3. Engage Team Members In Culture Conversations

Ask your team members to engage in ongoing, deep culture conversations. Talk openly and share the details of your culture, including desirable and undesirable behaviors. Also, collectively discuss what the best ways are to onboard new hires. Last, but not least, check in with new hires to see how effective your onboarding process is in terms of learning about your culture. - Craig Dowden, Craig Dowden & Associates

4. Identify And Live Your Company Values

Identify your company values and make it a priority to live them. Employees learn how to navigate culture by watching what you do, not by listening to what you say. Model the behaviors you are looking for, communicate expectations early and often, and give feedback—both positive and negative. - Stacy Campesi, SLC Coaching

5. Speak To Everyone On Your Team Every Day

Take the time to speak to everyone on your team every day, even for five minutes. Let them know they matter and that you will be there when they call. Know what’s happening in their lives. Ask if there’s anything they need. Maintaining good culture remotely takes deliberate effort. Don’t be so busy getting work done that everyone thinks that’s all that matters to you. - Steve McIntosh, CareerPoint.com

6. Create A Virtual ‘Watercooler Break’

Create a virtual version of the “watercooler break” or “Friday sundowners.” Culture does not need to be scaled; rather, inclusivity needs to be driven so that people feel part of the fabric and not alienated. In a virtual working world, giving some individual attention is actually possible and well worth the effort. Align your actions with the corporate values that speak to their own values too. - Arthi Rabikrisson, Prerna Advisory

7. Share A Meal With A Remote Employee

Culture reflects leadership practices, attitudes and behaviors that can be scaled for remote teams. Managers should embody the company’s mission and values, which should be reflected in all of their actions and communications with employees. One small way to help combat potential proximity bias is having lunch with a remote employee even if they are in a different time zone. - Michael Timmes, Insperity

8. Be Open About Maintaining The Culture

Business owners can scale the company culture by creating touch points and asking the team if they feel the connection to the existing business culture. Ensure there is a sound onboarding process for new employees that goes over the company’s mission and vision. The leader can also be open and communicate about the growth happening and the desire to maintain the culture they’ve built. - Brandy Mabra, Savvy Clover Coaching & Consulting

9. Hold Morning Meetings To Set The Day

Working remotely requires systems and processes that are scalable to begin with. Once everything is in place, there are rituals, activities and tasks that bring a blend of remote working and togetherness to foster the company culture. Morning stand-ups to share what’s on the agenda for the day and what’s important are small but pivotal to ensuring visibility—not just for productivity but also to provide support to teams. - Sian Lenegan, Work With Sian

10. Schedule Weekly Company Meetings

For intimate teams, a thoughtful and consistent communication rhythm is key to retaining and building company culture in the remote world. Short and frequent all-hands huddles bring the entire team “together” daily without consuming too much work time. Additionally, I recommend a short weekly company meeting just after lunch on Friday to recap the week’s wins and highlight key staff contributions. - Glenn Grant, Selfassembled Ventures

11. Break Up Large Teams Into ‘Squads’

A robust remote team culture matters much more than you might think. Forming a team is one thing; making it function cohesively is another. We can borrow some insight from the software development world and break up large teams into “squads” to maintain an agile and intimate culture. Having each squad work on a specific initiative helps them stay connected, focused and motivated. - Lital Marom, UNFOLD Media Group

This article was originally published on Forbes.