Culture Stories: The Octopus Energy Way — Autonomy in Service of Customers

At Make It Human, our Culture Stories series takes a closer look at organisations that have cracked the code on culture. This time, we zoomed in on Octopus Energy—a company that has not only shaken up the energy industry but also built a culture that fuels both people and performance.

Founded in 2015 by Greg Jackson, Octopus now has 11,000 employees worldwide and revenues of $12bn. They’re profitable, fast-growing, and well-loved by customers and employees alike. But the real story is how they’ve achieved that success — and the intentional habits, behaviours, and systems that make it possible.

That’s where the Make It Human Growth Culture Canvas comes in. Using this model, we’ve pinpointed the foundations, elements, and accelerators that set Octopus apart and highlighted some ideas and actions you can try in your own organisation.

1. Purpose with People at the Centre

Octopus isn’t just about green energy — it’s about making energy affordable, fair, and human. During COVID, they moved quickly to support vulnerable customers. Internally, leaders actively surface stories of employees making a difference, making purpose feel alive at every level.

Takeaway: Don’t just talk about your purpose — find ways to make it tangible in everyday work and share real stories of impact.

2. Freedom + Responsibility

Employees at Octopus are trusted to make decisions and contribute without waiting for endless approvals. This balance of autonomy with accountability runs through their decentralised organisational design, where managers lead “mini-businesses” with real ownership.

Takeaway: Ask yourself — are your systems designed to empower people, or slow them down?

3. Habits that Build Connection

From their weekly “Family Dinner” (a global all-hands designed for connection and listening) to Project Jager (linking customer support and tech teams to co-create better solutions), Octopus has built rituals that keep employees connected to each other and to customers.

Takeaway: Create rituals that bring people together — and make listening a leadership habit.

4. Leadership that Listens (and gets out of the way!)

Greg Jackson and his leadership team deliberately keep diaries uncluttered so they can spend time with employees and customers. They draw on principles of autonomy, mastery, and purpose (inspired by Dan Pink’s research) to fuel human energy across the business.

Takeaway: Make time to be accessible. Leadership presence and listening matter more than packed calendars.

5. Systems that Scale customer focus and ownership

The Kraken platform gives Octopus a real-time, connected view of customer needs —powering both customer service and employee decision-making. Their refusal to use “no-reply” emails is another small but powerful system choice that reinforces openness and dialogue.

Takeaway: Look at your systems. Do they make turning your purpose into the daily priority feel effortless?

Culture insights sourced from the Octopus Energy website and podcast as well as recent articles.

And if you want to go deeper, the Growth Culture Canvas we used to map Octopus Energy's culture is the same tool participants use in the Growth Culture Skills Accelerator — a practical, cohort-based programme where you’ll build your own growth culture plan.

🚀 Our next Accelerator cohort starts in January 2026. Join the waitlist to secure your spot.

Try the Octopus Way 🐙

We’ve pulled together a 1-pager of practical things you can try in your organisation, inspired by Octopus Energy’s habits and systems.

👉 Join the Make It Human Club and download the Octopus Energy Culture Take-Aways and Actions 1-Pager.

Join us at our next Coffee & Culture session on 9th October. We’ll continue the Culture Stories series getting under the skin of another company’s culture to reveal the practical habits that help fuel lasting growth.

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