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The various stages of maturity entail new challenges and opportunities for companies – just as in our own lives. If we wish to make the most of ourselves, it is essential to prepare for this consciously.

A common phenomenon of the digitalisation industry is that following rapid growth, companies have to cope with the challenges of size category shifts. There’s no need to think of the world of startups, which genuinely does race ahead at mind-boggling speeds. Several companies in the IT sector might not be particularly extraordinary yet are still greatly affected by the difficulties caused by the shift between various life stages. Coping with the organisation’s development and preserving a humane image and natural communication is just one task that decides whether the company can successfully and sustainably operate in the long run.

“Many factors can influence the momentary condition of a company; therefore, the right way to handle this is also always dependent on the situation at hand. We must pursue one avenue when external, market-based obstacles hinder a company’s development. Yet, another when its internal function has not been adapted to the stage it’s faced with and is therefore unable to move on,” said Zsuzsanna Rapp, HR manager at BlackBelt. According to the professional, who is well-versed in organisational psychology, this is why in all cases, the first step consists of rapid diagnostics to pinpoint the unique internal relations, demands and processes of the company in question.

“In the case of BlackBelt, we launched an assessment process based on multiple tools, which we hope will provide an overview of our employees’ level of satisfaction and mood and the connections and dynamics within the company. It’s crucial to understand what employees expect from their employer and how they feel about their work as this is the primary interest of both parties,” explained Zsuzsanna. A typical issue of rapidly growing companies is that they achieve a specific size from where they can only move on through self-development after a while. 

Suppose this doesn’t take place after a certain point. In that case, the internal flow of information falters, and the “voice of the employees” can be lost as the previous informal discussions and feedback are no longer effective. This shortcoming must be consciously dealt with, and appropriate care must be taken to establish suitable channels of communication on all levels of the company so employees’ feedback would find its way to the management.

The reinforcement of the culture of feedback is also a significant challenge as it requires active participation and involvement from all participants. Although this isn’t typical of smaller organisations, in the case of a mature company, business operations, HR, and employees must jointly work on filling the newly-created channels with content. For example, surveying the opinions and satisfaction of employees can only serve its purpose if the employees use this opportunity to express and share their thoughts. Although this form of communication might come as an unexpected novelty, it’s worth making the most of it as this is the only way the management can act for the sake of the shared goals and the satisfaction of colleagues.

Although people might be sceptical about it at first, this is the primary interest and goal of the company. Amongst the current labour market conditions, “the best form of recruitment is retaining employees”; therefore, it’s only understandable for a company to do the utmost to ensure colleagues feel good in their respective positions. According to Zsuzsanna Rapp: “At BlackBelt, the management is particularly committed to combining growth with employee satisfaction. The goal is never growth only, but rather to create a company and workplace liked by both clients and colleagues.”