How to structure a growth team?

Structuring a growth team can vary depending on the company’s stage, goals, and size. Experts suggest several approaches and considerations:

Common Structures

1. Cross-Functional Pods: This model includes a Product Manager (PM), engineers, marketing, analytics, designers, and user research all working together towards shared business problems. The PM is usually the most accountable person in these teams. This approach is preferred by experts like Mike Duboe and was successfully implemented at companies like Facebook and Uber 1.

2. Functional Teams: In this structure, teams focus on specific functions such as acquisition, activation, and monetization. For instance, Lauryn Isford described how Airtable structured their growth teams to align with different stages of the customer journey, like acquisition and activation 2.

3. Standalone Teams Reporting to the CEO: Ed Baker emphasizes the importance of having a growth leader reporting directly to the CEO, allowing for aggressive tactics and alignment with the company's overall strategy 3.

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Key Functions to Include

• Product Management
• Engineering
• Design
• Marketing
• Data Science/Analytics 3 4

Important Considerations

• Integration with Other Teams: Growth teams should blend with other functions to avoid isolation. For example, Mike Duboe suggests that long-term, growth practices should be ingrained within product and marketing teams rather than having a standalone growth team 1.
• Avoiding Early Growth Teams: Elena Verna advises against forming a growth team before achieving product-market fit, as the lack of a solid product foundation can render expansion efforts ineffective. She also warns about the mistake of not fostering a growth mindset within the initial team members 5.

Real-World Examples

• Facebook: Structured their large growth team to include all critical functions under one umbrella, enabling a seamless interplay between product, engineering, analytics, design, and marketing 1 4.
• Uber: Followed a similar approach, starting with a core team that covered all necessary functions, ensuring that every aspect of growth was addressed collaboratively from the start 3.

Additional Insights

• Data and Experimentation: Emphasize a data-centric approach and continuous experimentation to validate strategies and achieve scalable growth.
• Iterative Changes: Growth team structures may evolve as a company's needs and circumstances change, requiring flexibility and adaptability within the team 2.

By understanding these structures and considerations, companies can form effective growth teams that drive expansion and help achieve long-term success.