Since its creation, PlayPlay has focused on a strong corporate culture as a lever for success. The founders, Thibaut Machet, Clément Moracin, and Aurélien Dayres, embodied from the start the values they wanted to see shine within the company.
Why formalize the corporate culture?
Although initially implicit, the PlayPlay culture was formalized in 2020 through a collaborative process. With a growing team, this formalization was essential to preserve the values and guide employee behavior.
The key steps to formalizing values
A participatory process to define values
In 2020, the founders organized a series of workshops involving the 40 employees at the time to clarify and lay the foundation for PlayPlay's values.
The values of PlayPlay:
❤️ Play user first: Customers are at the heart of all our actions.
🎨 Play it creative: Creativity is encouraged and valued.
🤝 Play it united: We promote inter-team collaboration.
🚀 Play it ambitious: Our vision drives us to dream big for PlayPlay.
💼 Play it committed: We act responsibly in all our projects.
These values not only reflect expected behaviors but also serve as a compass for strategic decisions.
Also to read: How to define values that unify your team?
Maintaining a strong culture during hypergrowth
The cultural challenges of hypergrowth
Between 2021 and 2022, PlayPlay hired more than 100 employees in just 7 to 8 months. This hectic pace put the culture to the test:
Cultural fit vs hard-skills: Massive recruitment sometimes favored technical skills over cultural fit.
Lack of time for integration: The volume of recruitment reduced the time available to promote “living together.”
Transmission of values: Older employees had fewer opportunities to help newcomers adopt PlayPlay's values.
“When you recruit a lot, everything happens faster, and the foundation weakens. For the culture to live on, one out of 5 or 10 employees must be a culture ambassador.” – Thibaut Machet
Embodying the culture daily
CEO initiatives to preserve the culture
Thibaut Machet ensures that the PlayPlay culture remains alive through:
Shared moments: Organizing events like the PlayPlay hackathon or the climate mural to strengthen the sense of belonging.
Active participation: Personal involvement in cultural events.
Value reminder rituals: Messages on Slack, feedback rituals (REX, praise) to keep values visible and tangible.
Shared vision: Regular communication about vision and goals to prevent fragmentation into subcultures within teams.
A focus on customer impact
In a context where startups must aim for profitability, Thibaut highlights the importance of reconnecting employees with the product vision and customer impact, beyond growth figures.
Culture in the employee journey
Recruitment process aligned with values
Each job offer includes a description of the values and expected behaviors. Recruitment always ends with a culture-fit interview, organized by two culture ambassadors.
Goals of the culture-fit interview:
Present the PlayPlay culture through concrete examples.
Ask questions to assess the candidate's cultural fit.
Identify potential blocking points using defined criteria to limit biases.
Currently, 30% of PlayPlay employees are trained to conduct these interviews. A V2 is in development to associate former and recent employees, offering a varied perspective on the culture.
Structured onboarding
Session dedicated to values: Newcomers participate in a session led by a Culture Squad member to discover expected behaviors.
Quarterly evaluations: Self-assessments and managerial feedback allow tracking employee alignment with the culture.
The Culture Squad: culture ambassadors
Bringing culture to life daily
The Culture Squad plays a central role in animating the culture by organizing events and thematic initiatives (e.g., Pink October, mental health).
Culture Squad operations:
Group of 7-8 volunteers, renewed every 6-9 months.
Weekly meetings to plan events and address key topics.
Coordination by HR to ensure impact aligned with cultural objectives.
Measuring cultural adherence
Two indicators track cultural impact:
Biannual survey: “Do I share the values and perceive them in my colleagues?”
Engagement in cultural initiatives: Number of volunteers for culture-fit interviews and the Culture Squad.
Discover more: The 100 reasons to join PlayPlay.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about corporate culture
Why integrate culture into the employee journey?
A strong culture aligns employee behaviors with company goals, fostering engagement and cohesion.
How to assess cultural fit during interviews?
Specific questions based on the company's values assess if a candidate truly embodies these values.
What are the cultural challenges during hypergrowth?
The speed of recruitment can dilute the culture. Establishing rituals and designating ambassadors helps maintain cohesion.
How to measure the impact of culture?
Internal surveys and engagement indicators allow tracking the evolution of culture and its impact.
Key takeaways
A strong culture starts with the example set by the founders.
Mass recruitment requires increased vigilance to preserve culture.
Cultural ambassadors play a key role in animating and spreading values.
Culture must be integrated into all stages of the employee journey.
Conclusion
Do you want to align your corporate culture with your mission?
Subscribe to our newsletter for practical advice and in-depth analyses each month or contact us directly to discover how to transform your organization through a strong and aligned culture: contact@the-dots.co