What is a growth culture? (And do you have one? Find out below...)

Apr 30

2 min read

In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, fostering a growth culture is no longer a “nice-to-have”—it’s essential. Leaders, HR professionals, and managers are realising that the future of high-performing, healthy teams lies not just in strategy or tools, but in cultivating the right mindset and environment. But what does a growth culture really mean, and how can we intentionally create one?

From Growth Mindset to Growth Culture

Psychologist Carol Dweck’s well-known concept of a growth mindset—the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and effort—has transformed how we think about learning and performance. But if we want teams to thrive, we need to move beyond individual mindset and ask: How do we create the conditions for growth across an entire organisation?

That’s where growth culture comes in. A growth culture is a work environment intentionally designed to encourage continuous learning, psychological safety, accountability, empowerment, and development. It helps individuals move more often into a growth mindset—and keeps organisations agile, inclusive, and innovative.

"In growth cultures people feel safe and able to sustain work and life. They're clear on what good looks like, feel included, valued and able to engage in meaningful work. They can try new things, make mistakes, learn and grow. This is the blend enabling people and organisations to thrive." - Make It Human

Five Pillars of a Growth Culture

Drawing from years of consulting and research, here are five core elements of a growth culture—along with practical ways to bring them to life:

Workplace Design

Create a flexible, empowering work environment—physically or virtually. Give people autonomy over where and how they work, grounded in fairness and integrity.

Action step: Audit your team's flexibility—where can you offer more choice and feelings of autonomy?

Accountability

Set clear expectations not just on what needs to be delivered, but how. Define and role-model the behaviours that align with your values.

Action step: Co-create a “ways of working” agreement with your team that outlines both deliverables and expected behaviours.

Community

A strong culture thrives on trust and connection. Create space for open conversations, empathy, and belonging.

Action step: Start team meetings with short check-ins and facilitate regular informal catchups to build human connection.

Empowerment

Trust people to make decisions and own their work. When employees feel empowered, they’re more engaged and innovative.

Action step: Identify a decision you currently make that could be delegated to your team. Start there.

Growth

Make learning an everyday habit. Embed coaching, feedback, and development into daily workflows.

Action step: Encourage peer mentoring or introduce monthly learning circles focused on skills development.

Small Steps, Big Shifts

Organisations like Canva, Timpson, and Zurich UK have embraced growth cultures through simple but intentional practices—like empowering frontline employees, embedding coaching into management roles, or making every job flexible. These aren't grand transformations—they're small, strategic shifts that scale over time.

As culture constantly evolves, the key is consistent attention and small nudges. Use these five pillars as your compass. Reflect, experiment, and grow—because thriving cultures don’t just happen. They’re built, one habit at a time.

Growth cultures win—on every measure!