Hypergrowth.
This is a word that many CEOs of SMEs and start-ups dream about!
Google, Facebook and Airbnb have all been there before becoming world leaders in their field.
However, behind the scenes of hypergrowth there is also a great deal of destabilisation in the life of the company.
It generates instability, which can lead to economic and social tragedies.
I've been navigating the French tech startup ecosystem for over 10 years. With varying degrees of success: failed partnerships in the two companies I founded in 2014 (Edgar People and Hunteed), then rapid growth at Speaken, which I sold in 2017.
I have clearly seen this ecosystem grow, from the support structures that are now abundant to the financing, where the amounts raised have increased almost tenfold.
Start-ups have also become attractive to young graduates, whereas in the late 2000s most of them went into finance or consulting.
Digitalisation, uberisation, automation.
These major current trends represent major issues and challenges for organisations which, faced with these technological upheavals, must constantly adapt, rethink and surpass themselves.
Whatever the type of change - managerial, cultural, organisational, technical - the challenges to be met are numerous in start-ups that are undergoing major changes of scale.
The current system, based on hypergrowth financed by fund-raising, which exhausts men and women, puts meaning aside and leads to short-term strategies, is not sustainable.
Let us make no mistake: it is individuals who make up the essence and meaning of an organisation.
When change occurs within the organisation, it is primarily about people, with their uniqueness and particularity.
Scaling up so quickly after a major fundraising event, whatever the purpose, is therefore about changing human beings.
"It is individuals who make up the essence and meaning of an organisation.
This is one of the keys to a successful transformation .
By understanding this and integrating it into a transformation strategy, the chances of success are multiplied.
Start-ups have understood the importance of supporting their employees in a context of change, as shown by the creation of dedicated positions and functions (Chief People Officer, Happiness Manager, etc.).
However, they often carry out change management too late, i.e. when the change is already advanced.
Sometimes it was even poorly communicated to staff, which certainly created confusion, misunderstanding and resistance.
The initiative to accompany change is then part of an emergency to bring all the teams into line with the aim of getting them to change as quickly as possible.
Consequently, change management is often limited to a simple training action (for new tools, processes, internal procedures).
This is certainly a necessary step, but if it is implemented in a hasty and non-contextualised manner, it will not be successful.
A transformation is successful when employees take part in the change, when they understand it, adhere to it and willingly set themselves in motion to achieve the objective of the change and thus participate in the performance of the organisation.
This is where the role of the Superman of Start-ups comes in: The Organisation Coach.
Its more people-oriented approach represents real added value.
By intervening generally at an earlier stage, it offers tools that complement the change management actions - often more operational - to support the transition to new practices and new ways of working until they are adopted by everyone.
In a future article, I will describe this new superhero! Stay tuned!
Olivier Croce
Skeelz is the HR Collective that helps 100+ start-ups and small businesses become impactful. Our Consultants, Coaches and Trainers help build large-scale, sustainable, high-performing and responsible organizations. To do this, we are committed to bringing out the best in everyone individually and collectively. If you need advice or dedicated support to recruit, hire or develop your teams, we are here to help ☞ hello@skeelz.com
