Why (and How) aware® Built Two Different Cultures

Michael Jones, VP of People at aware®, has mastered the art of scaling dual cultures within a single organization. As aware® grew from 10 to 30 employees while launching physical blood-testing locations across Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, Michael discovered that building one unified culture across both digital headquarters teams and on-the-ground medical operations was not only impossible but counterproductive. His approach of intentionally designing two complementary cultures - while maintaining shared values and communication touchpoints - has enabled aware® to maintain tight team cohesion during rapid expansion while delivering consistent customer experiences across diverse work environments. Topics Discussed Building two distinct but aligned cultures within a single organization Scaling culture across distributed teams with vastly different work environments Creating systematic onboarding programs for medical staff and operational teams Implementing communication touchpoints that connect virtual and physical teams Adapting HR practices for the shift from remote-first to hybrid work models Using AI tools strategically for recruitment while avoiding algorithmic bias Building culture resilience during the transition from purely digital to physical operations Developing structured interview processes and candidate evaluation frameworks