Most companies start-off half-decent and sell off their culture to hire executives, which usually involves zero-sum autonomy transfers and globally undesirable cultural changes.
Usually, if this is going to happen, it happens early in the startup phase (~50 employees) but Google managed to hold it off for several years-- which is admirable-- but eventually hired some evil execs who did the culture in.
I feel like the hiring of executives is where most companies lose their culture. Bringing in a semi-retired burnout with a sense of entitlement, and giving him all the keys, turns out to be a bad move.
Most companies start-off half-decent and sell off their culture to hire executives, which usually involves zero-sum autonomy transfers and globally undesirable cultural changes.
Usually, if this is going to happen, it happens early in the startup phase (~50 employees) but Google managed to hold it off for several years-- which is admirable-- but eventually hired some evil execs who did the culture in.
I feel like the hiring of executives is where most companies lose their culture. Bringing in a semi-retired burnout with a sense of entitlement, and giving him all the keys, turns out to be a bad move.