Maintaining a thriving team culture is essential for any successful business, and there are many traditional ways to achieve this, such as team-building activities and regular check-ins.  

However, there are also nontraditional ways to manage a thriving team culture that can be just as effective. Here are some ideas: 

Celebrate unconventional milestones: It’s important to celebrate not just the big milestones, but also the small and unconventional ones. For example, if an employee gets a new certification or learns a new skill, celebrate it with the team. This creates a culture of recognition and encourages everyone to keep learning and growing. 

Embrace flexibility: Traditional work hours and schedules may not work for everyone. Embracing flexibility can help to create a more inclusive and supportive environment. This could mean allowing employees to work from home or choose their own hours, or even having a policy where employees can take a day off whenever they need to. 

Encourage personal development: Encouraging personal development can help employees to feel valued and supported. This could include providing opportunities for employees to attend conferences or training sessions or offering a budget for employees to use for personal development. 

Emphasize collaboration over the competition: While healthy competition can be a good motivator, it can also create a culture of silos and individualism. Emphasizing collaboration over the competition can help to create a more cohesive team. This could mean setting team goals instead of individual ones or creating cross-functional teams to encourage collaboration. 

Show appreciation regularly: Finally, showing appreciation regularly can go a long way in creating a thriving team culture. This could mean sending regular thank you notes or providing small perks like coffee or snacks. The key is to show employees that their hard work is valued and appreciated. 

There are many nontraditional ways to manage a thriving team culture. By embracing flexibility, encouraging personal development, and emphasizing collaboration over competition, businesses can create a supportive and inclusive environment where employees can thrive. 

Listen to design studio business owner, Nicole Salceda, maintains a thriving team culture even as her business has grown to over 30 employees!