Over the past few months, ESCP has worked with us to analyze our evolution and positioning in order to create a case study based on our company’s history and culture. At Opinno, since the beginning, we have invested in culture as a fundamental pillar of leadership. A very different approach that has evolved both in its content and expression, and also in the way it spreads to employees, customers and collaborators. This approach has helped us to successfully go through periods of change and uncertainty. We are convinced that many of the ideas and experiences we share in this case can be useful for startups, entrepreneurs and large companies. Once again, the present moment poses a global challenge and cultural leadership can be the engine that allows us to move through new territories as yet unmapped.
“Opinno was founded exactly twelve years ago in Silicon Valley, the same week that Lehman Brothers fell. Today we are delighted to celebrate our twelfth anniversary with this gift made to us by ESCP, in the form of a case study that analyzes the importance of culture throughout the different stages of growth of our company,” says Pedro Moneo CEO and founder of Opinno. Between 2012 and 2016 we were able to develop a strong culture of our own, maintaining a comparatively small size. Our focus was on betting on promoting internal talent, so our business grew faster than the team experience, and this raised a dilemma. How could we offer a higher level of seniority without slowing down the development of our internal workforce? We decided to create the senior mentor figure and were able to attract very high-level external collaborators who identified with the values of our company. An intangible asset that has proven its enormous profitability throughout our history.
From 2016 to 2019, we grew by 40% but lost a third of our inner talent along the way. The human team was bigger than ever and was also distributed around the world. With an eye on the creation of a global company, a new challenge appeared. We needed to develop our own narrative that would strengthen our employees´ and customers´ sense of belonging. After a cathartic process we identified the six differential values that are in our DNA today and define the internal processes to be practiced in our daily activity. This initiative ended up shaping the Opinno Way, the corporate manual that inspires the training of all our employees with a simplified version for customers.
From here we conceived the idea of creating a global Opinno Way certification, which we implemented with the creation of the Opinno Academy. Attitude, more than aptitude, was identified from that moment on as the key criterion with which we select and evaluate the team. In 2020, Pedro is determined to take Opinno to the next level, a global community of talent. A hybrid consulting model led by our own full-time professionals, collaborating with external profiles chosen according to the needs of each project. A scalable and highly effective approach that attracts the best of both worlds.
We would like to thank ESCP for its interest in Opinno and all the colleagues who are or have been collaborating with us, our customers and suppliers and also our competitors who motivate us, day by day, to improve.
