Building Organizational Culture. How we do it at Huge Thing ?? Let's talk about something Huge! Newsletter Edition #5

Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, once said, "Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with passion." And we couldn’t agree more!

You can document culture in a handbook, explain it in onboarding meetings, but the truth is — culture isn’t about words. It’s about everyday actions. It’s how we work, how we communicate, and how we respond to challenges. It’s the little things: spontaneous ideas, shared wins, and that perfect meme someone posts on Slack that sums up our struggles. That’s what makes Huge Thing… Huge Thing!

How did we create our culture, and what does it mean for us? Natalia Sadownik shares the story in this issue of our newsletter.

How We Got Here

We didn’t create our culture by sitting in a conference room and listing bullet points on a whiteboard. The organizational culture at Huge Thing has taken shape over the years, with every team member having a real impact on how it evolves.

Through countless trials and experiments, we’ve developed processes that best fit our needs and reflect the current state of our organization.

Our main goal has always been to create an environment where every employee — regardless of position or tenure — feels a great sense of freedom in their work and decision-making, while staying aligned with our shared values and quality standards.

Structure or No Structure? ??

It’s easy to draw an organizational chart that looks neat and structured, but does it reflect reality?

At Huge Thing, we never fully subscribed to traditional organizational charts. They simply didn’t capture the way we work. Only recently have we developed a structure that truly represents us. Instead of traditional job titles, our framework is built on roles and competencies, allowing people to contribute where they bring the most value. On an individual level, this approach makes it easier for team members to choose roles that align with their talents and motivations—as long as they also meet the organization’s needs. This flexibility ensures that as Huge Thing evolves, so does our structure.

We don’t fit into a single organizational model. We take some inspiration from holacracy and some from self-organizing teams, adapting them to our needs. And we’re not doing this in isolation — over the past few months, we’ve been part of Poland’s Rebel Cell, exchanging knowledge and experiences with organizations similar to ours.

What Matters to Us ??

1. First and Foremost – Trust ??

We believe (and we want our employees to believe, too) that everyone knows how to do their job best. This means that each team member has the autonomy to make decisions — something we see as a key driver of engagement and creativity.

At the same time, we acknowledge that independent decision-making comes with the risk of failure — and that’s okay. Failed decisions are a natural part of the process; they’ve happened before, they happen now, and they will happen in the future. Instead of avoiding risk, we treat these experiences as learning opportunities for the entire organization.

2. Flexibility and Hybrid Work ????

Even before the pandemic, our team operated across Warsaw and Poznań, making remote work nothing new to us. Over the years, we’ve optimized our meeting schedule — starting from daily virtual coffee chats down to one full-team meeting per week — along with methods that help us maintain close connections, no matter where we work from.

Now, especially as our teams have grown, we aim for each city-based team to meet in the office at least once a week. We believe in-person meetings strengthen relationships and complement daily online interactions.?

At the same time, we stay true to our core belief: the quality of work isn’t defined by location. That’s why every team member has full flexibility in choosing which day they want to come into the office, or deciding if an in-office visit is even possible for them that week at all.

3. Open Communication ??

We believe that open communication is fundamental. Everyone should know what’s happening, why, and where we’re headed. Leaders are accessible, decisions are transparent, and feedback flows in both ways.

We encourage everyone to feel confident and unafraid to share their perspective, ideas, or concerns. We foster an environment where questions are always welcome, and new initiatives are met with genuine interest. The best ideas often emerge from open discussions, which is why we create space for everyone to share — regardless of seniority.

That’s exactly why we organize regular workshops, where we go fully offline to focus on the company’s future. And once a year, we hold strategic workshops, where we reflect on the past year, celebrating successes, sharing lessons learned, and discussing what mattered most. The key focus, however, is shaping both our short- and long-term strategy and collectively setting our direction and goals.

4. People First ??

We are a team. We support each other when things get tough and celebrate both big and small wins together. And sometimes, even the best work needs a break. That’s why we introduced No-Calls Friday, a meeting-free day to help wrap up the week calmly and head into the weekend without unnecessary stress. And if deadlines aren’t breathing down our necks, we allow ourselves to finish the week at 2 PM.

We also know that breaking away from routine can work wonders. Sometimes, instead of sitting in the office or at home, we take our work somewhere that simply feels more inspiring. Like that one time, we spontaneously packed up our laptops and ended up in Maryla’s garden with sunshine, fresh air and cold brew in our hand. A different kind of workday, slower, more relaxed, but just as productive :)

5. Celebrating What Matters ??

Celebrating important moments within our team is something we truly value, whether it’s work anniversaries, birthdays, or personal achievements.

This year, we added a personal touch to our celebrations, each team member received a custom illustration by Jagoda from our communication team, featuring our very own Huge Thing monster. If you're curious to see what they look like, below you can check out a collage of all the illustrations.

Hiring for Culture ??

Over the past few years, the Huge Thing team has grown from 4 to 12 people. We’ve conducted numerous recruitment processes entirely on our own, which has allowed us to develop an internal hiring approach that still works for us today.

At Huge Thing, recruitment goes beyond just skills, we look for people who share our values. That’s why an essential part of our hiring process is the Culture-Fit stage. We want to bring in people who truly align with our way of working.

Step 1: First Interview: A relaxed conversation with a team lead and a current team member. This is an opportunity to get to know the candidate’s skills, experience, and strengths. We also try to understand their career aspirations — what they want to learn, what they hope to achieve in the coming months and years. This helps us assess whether the role we’re hiring for will be engaging, challenging, and fulfilling for them.

Step 2: Culture Fit Check: A follow-up interview with two team members from different areas of the organization. Here, we focus on getting to know the candidate as a person — their working style, values, motivations, and what they appreciate (or dislike) in a workplace. Just as importantly, this stage is also an opportunity for the candidate to get to know us better. We share insights about our work culture, values, communication style, how we celebrate successes, and even how we handle failures, because we don’t pretend they never happen.

We know that this type of recruitment process requires extra effort from our team, but it also ensures that everyone has a say in evaluating candidates and making hiring decisions. It also has a positive impact on new employees' first days at work, helping them integrate smoothly into their new work environment.

Final Thoughts ??

Culture can’t be forced or imposed — it grows from small, everyday decisions, spontaneous moments, and daily interactions. That’s what makes Huge Thing a place where people want to work, grow, and simply be part of the team. And while our approach to culture will continue to evolve, one thing remains constant: we build it together, every single day.

We don’t want our culture to be confined within the four walls of our office. We strive for our clients, mentors, startups, and everyone we collaborate with to feel it too. And we know they do and it’s something they appreciate. That’s why we continue to nurture and strengthen this approach every day.

And finally, we have some exciting news—we’re thrilled to welcome a new member to our blue team! Franciszek, our new Junior in the Acceleration Team, joined us this month.

We’re so happy to have you on board, and we can’t wait to see what amazing things we’ll create together! ???

Looking for more insights, events, and must-reads? Here’s what we’ve got for you! ??

?? What is your TRL? - Not sure where your startup stands? Take our quiz and read the article to understand Technology Readiness Levels and why accelerators care so much about them ??

?? Early-stage founder mistakes - MamBiznes sat down with Maria and Monika to discuss the common pitfalls of startup founders. Learn what to avoid in the early days of your venture!

?? Huge Thing wspólnie z PFR Ventures stawia na edukacj? z obszaru CVC - article by MamBiznes dives into opportunities and challenges shaping the local CVC market, where AI investments alone reached $8.8B. Despite global slowdowns, early-stage funding is on the rise, making up 66% of all transactions. So where does Poland stand in this landscape? ??

?? Let’s meet at the Huge Networking Party! - On March 7th, we’re bringing together startups, corporates, investors, and media for an evening of innovation, connection, and celebration. Plus, we’re launching the Female Founders Report in partnership with Visa Foundation and Forbes Women. Sign up now – spots are limited!

?? Last chance! Only two days left to apply for the Sector Agnostic path of the Startup Booster by Huge Thing! Don’t miss out – apply now!

?? Test your startup in real-world conditions! Apply for the Industry Test path of the Startup Booster and work directly with big industry players. Applications close at the end of February!

?? Q&A webinars - We've organized Open Hours with this edition's partners so you can ask your questions directly at the source.?

Veolia 20.02.2025 11:30 AM, for challenges:

AI-assisted meeting notes, A tool to assess the ability to perform complex tasks (e.g., driving vehicles, operating machinery)

Register here ?? https://bit.ly/40SMdRq?

Veolia 20.02.2025 2:00 PM, for challenges:

A tool for analyzing contract terms, Sending GDPR consent requests to customers

Register here ?? https://bit.ly/3Cy29PN?

PZU Group 19.02.2025 at 12.00 pm - covers all challenges

Register here ?? https://bit.ly/40Bcl22?

Rossmann TBA

We’re curious, what would you love to see us share next time? Fill out the form and share your thoughts with us! ?? Let us know!

See you soon!