Balancing Growth and Culture: Fifth's Recent Expansion and EI

We can keep on using different terms like HRM, people management, or people and culture management – they all point to the same thing: dealing with people. And when it comes to dealing with people, no matter how well we plan or organize, there will always be unexpected twists and turns. Office life is just full of surprises, and sometimes no amount of rules or procedures in HR can FULLY prepare tech companies for expansion.

The role of HR in today's IT companies is increasingly recognized as a highly sought-after profession. As demand for skilled tech talent continues to rise, the importance of HR becomes more apparent. Gathering a team of great people is like putting together the perfect puzzle – it's all about finding the right pieces that fit just right!

For women's month, we asked our HR, Nare Hovhannisyan , to share her experience about balancing growth and culture during our recent period of active growth.

Balancing Growth and Culture during Fifth's Recent Expansion:

Every company experiences both active and passive periods throughout its life.

The expansion of a team with several new members in a short period is a clear sign of an active phase. In January 2024, Fifth experienced a similar scenario by welcoming over 10 new members to the team. How can we handle this situation without risking the established team culture and positive relationships?

While seeking theoretical answers from ChatGPT can yield valuable insights, it's equally important to rely on common rules grounded in experience and human relations, which vary for each team.

When a team already has a healthy culture, set processes, reliable relationships, integrating new members becomes much smoother. Each "old teammate" naturally feels a sense of responsibility to help the "new teammate" settle in.

In many cases, pairing a seasoned, energetic employee as a mentor to the newcomer can be beneficial. This mentorship serves as a beacon for the new employee in navigating the company's unfamiliar culture. However, the success of such initiatives hinges on whether teammates share a similar mindset, responsibility, and commitment to the company, as these factors significantly influence team dynamics. This is where our HR steps in first of all with the right hiring process and then making sure that our newest team members feel like part of the team.

We've got our internal regulations to guide us, making sure everyone's on the same page from day one. And we're not just handing over a bunch of papers and calling it an onboarding. We're there, ready to answer any questions and provide all the support they need.

That means plenty of one-on-one time, getting to know each other and making sure they're feeling comfortable and confident.

Taking a step further, I'll mention also the offboarding process. While it's sometimes overlooked, it holds great importance for the company. After all, who can provide more candid feedback than a departing employee? ?? In all seriousness, a departing teammate's comprehensive feedback about the team and management can significantly contribute to the company's improvement and further development.

Now that we have all these processes in place and all the rules and guides as well as the constant support of new tools and AI, is this really enough to balance and maintain a great culture in times of active company growth?

Exploring the Role of Processes and Emotional Intelligence in People Management

While some argue that professionalism, processes and emotions clash, it's undeniable that emotions play a crucial role in all human interactions. Let's shift our focus to a contemporary concept gaining traction for over fifty years: emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and handle emotions effectively.

As evident from the discussion above, emotional intelligence (EI) is crucial for fostering effective communication, adaptation, and overall behavioral shifts, which form the foundation of HRM activities. Having all the processes for onboarding and offboarding facilitate the growth of the company, but they are not enough to keep culture during the growth. Here EI plays a significant role in assessing the soft skills of employees, and importantly, shaping the overall atmosphere, team spirit, and supporting conflict prevention.

It's not uncommon to see job postings for HR specialists that include a preference for candidates with a background in psychology. This preference is understandable because while the idea of constantly fostering new working relationships and establishing strict or smooth processes may sound appealing, the reality of implementing it is often more complex.

To sum up. we prioritize adherence to processes within our company, while also placing significant emphasis on adopting new tools, automation, and implementing best practices in AI to enhance our learning, technical skills, and empower our staff. However, as we continue to expand and strive to uphold the exceptional culture we currently cherish, we prioritize Emotional Intelligence (EI).

As for the choice between AI and EI, which do you prefer? ??