Managing Identity and Mission—Why Culture Must Scale at the Speed of Growth

Rapid growth exposed a new kind of vulnerability at Airbnb and Uber—a crisis not of product or profit, but of culture. As hiring exploded and offices spread overseas, old rituals from the founding team became diluted or downright lost. Employees who once knew everyone suddenly felt like strangers, with comfort zones broken and quiet resentment building. Leaders worried that new offices wouldn’t reflect the ‘soul’ of the original company, so they started sending care packages and guides—an ‘office in a box’ approach designed to export rituals, inside jokes, and even preferred meeting structures.

Research on organizational behavior corroborates: successful groups anchor their growth to strong, clearly expressed values, turning culture into something you can see, touch, and repeat. Diffusion is inevitable with expansion, but proactive onboarding, visible traditions, and explicit storytelling preserve—and even amplify—the mission at scale. Without these, even the best products falter when the team’s shared sense of purpose erodes.

Begin by naming your purpose as clearly as you can—don’t aim for perfect, but make it feel real to you. Choose or invent one group ritual that regularly reminds everyone why they’re together; post phrases or mementos around your space if possible. As numbers grow, expect some friction. Don’t hide from it—welcome new faces by introducing them to your culture’s quirks and asking which ones they’d tweak. That way, as your mission spreads, it stays alive and relatable. Try this with your own club or class this month.