At this stage, team culture is undefined and largely implicit. The team culture is typically driven by the actions and behaviors of one or two leaders rather than a defined organizational identity.

The company has grown beyond its original team. In order to maintain its true cultural DNA and prepare for further growth, the company has clearly defined its ambition and the cultural values ​​and behaviors that enable the clarity needed for the team to achieve its goals. These cultural values ​​and expectations are clearly articulated easily accessible to the entire team and are actively promoted to potential talent out there.

At this level of cultural maturity, the cultural values ​​are anchored in the structure and employee journey of the organization. The organization has a clearly defined plan on how the values ​​are implemented in growth paths, roles and recurring rituals across the employee journey: hiring, onboarding, performance management, employee development and employee engagement.

The cultural values ​​are applied and felt from the first employee contact to the last day of work. The organization moves from employee journey to employee experience – actively involving the entire team in applying the cultural values in all recurring team rituals. Cultural engagement is made measurable and the team is supported to contribute to the continuous feedback loop between leadership and team.

At this level of cultural maturity, the culture is part of the DNA of the organization. Cultural insights drive decision making, Cultural values ​​are owned by all employees and the culture can welcome and include new team members (scalable) without losing strength. There is an ongoing ability to develop and/or adapt culture in service of corporate purpose and strategy.