Maya Research: The Business of Culture I 2025 I Download Now
Why and How BBH's Culture Had to Evolve
2025 I DEEP DIVE INSIDER PROFILES
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At BBH, traditional boundaries between strategy, creative, and production have been deliberately dismantled. In their place is a system where strategists sketch concepts, designers reshape briefs, and producers contribute from day one. This is Borderless Teams in action, BBH’s bet that the strongest ideas emerge when disciplines work together from the start rather than in sequence.
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The cultural shift was intentional, not accidental. BBH saw clear signals that the traditional agency model was reaching its limits. “Client needs have fundamentally changed,” says Alex, BBH’s Chief Strategy Officer. “They want solutions, not just campaigns. Their challenges cross channels, merge online and offline, and demand faster responses than the old process could provide. Our culture had to evolve because the world already had.”
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Looking back at its own work, the agency noticed a pattern. The most successful projects came from teams that had naturally blurred departmental boundaries. Sequential projects, by contrast, dragged on, needed more revisions, and produced less ambitious ideas. “We had the data to prove cross-functional collaboration was essential, not optional,” notes Rebecca from the operations team. “When we compared client feedback to our internal processes, the pattern was clear. Our structure needed to reflect how creative problems actually get solved, not how agencies have always organized themselves.”
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Sarah, Executive Creative Director, frames the decision bluntly. “We got tired of brilliant strategies dying in execution and amazing creative that solved the wrong problem. So we blew up the assembly line. No more strategy handing briefs to creative, who then pass to production. Now everyone builds together from the start.” To make this real, BBH designed Creative Confluence, a framework that channels the messy collision of disciplines into structured sessions. It uses question patterns and role rotation to avoid turf wars while keeping the productive tension that sparks new thinking.
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The shift has been eye-opening for the people inside it. “I was skeptical at first,” admits Marcus, a strategist who joined in 2023. “I worried my input would get watered down or ignored. But the opposite happened. My insights actually shape the work because I’m in the process, not just writing a brief and hoping it lands.” Today teams form, adapt, and dissolve around client challenges instead of sitting inside fixed departments. BBH calls this model Creative Ecosystems, where leadership rotates based on the phase of work rather than defaulting to seniority, and project needs define how the team comes together.
BBH's cultural shifts appear in specific daily routines that differ from standard agency practices. Notable among these is their "10/10/10" rhythm – a workflow where teams spend 10 minutes thinking individually, 10 minutes exploring in pairs, and 10 minutes synthesizing as a group before beginning their main work. "10/10/10 has improved our creative process," notes Jamie, a designer. "It creates a balance between independent thinking and group input. Several campaigns began as initial thoughts during these sessions."
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The agency also practices "Reverse Perspective" – a weekly exercise where team members temporarily step into roles outside their usual expertise. Art directors handle account responsibilities, strategists work on design elements, and production specialists develop creative concepts. "Reverse Perspective helps break down the invisible barriers between disciplines," explains Rahul, Head of Strategy. "When I think from a designer's viewpoint, I better understand their challenges. It's made our teams more collaborative and helped prevent departments from becoming isolated."
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BBH has also reconfigured their workspace into "Context Zones" – areas designed for specific types of work rather than specific departments. These include spaces for collaboration, focused individual work, and client interaction. "The Context Zones help me adapt my environment to what I'm doing," shares Leila, a copywriter. "When writing headlines requires concentration, I use the quiet spaces. For collaborative work, there are areas designed for group thinking. It helps me stay productive through different types of tasks."
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A Different Approach to Information
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BBH has adopted a more open approach to information sharing since 2023. The agency now practices "Open Access Information" – making most company data, client communications, and decision processes visible throughout the organization. "The level of transparency here was surprising at first," admits Carlos, who joined BBH's client services team last year. "At previous agencies, information was more guarded, especially financial details and client discussions. Here, I can see project performance metrics and access notes from leadership meetings."
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This openness extends to their "Failure Forums" – regular sessions where teams discuss projects that didn't meet expectations, analyzing what happened and identifying improvements for future work.
"Failure Forums help us learn collectively," explains Zoe, an art director. "We recently discussed a campaign that missed the client's expectations. Instead of assigning blame, we identified the communication issues together and developed specific ways to prevent similar problems."
To make information accessible without overwhelming people, BBH uses an internal platform called "Mosaic" that organizes project information, client communications, and team notes in a searchable format.
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"Mosaic helps me learn from colleagues across the agency," notes Devon, a junior strategist. "I can see how experienced strategists approach challenges, review how creative concepts evolved, and understand how production brought ideas to life. It's accelerated my professional development."
BBH takes a different approach to career growth than most agencies. Rather than climbing a departmental ladder, they've implemented "Skill Constellations" – a framework that recognizes expertise across multiple areas. "The Skill Constellation approach gives me more options," shares Olivia, who has been with BBH for three years. "Instead of feeling there's only one path forward, I can develop my conceptual skills while also building client relationship abilities and trend forecasting knowledge." This system uses quarterly "Trajectory Dialogues" where team members map their evolving skills and identify development areas with guidance from mentors outside their immediate teams. The process uses an assessment tool measuring creative output alongside collaboration effectiveness, learning ability, and implementation skills.
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"Trajectory Dialogues make career development more transparent," explains Jason, a producer. "At previous agencies, advancement sometimes felt unclear. Here, I have visibility into what skills will help me grow, and there are multiple paths to increase my impact and compensation."
This development approach connects to project staffing through a system called "Optimal Assembly" that creates teams based on complementary skills rather than departmental representation, considering both current expertise and growth goals. "Optimal Assembly means I work with people who bring different perspectives," notes Priya, an experience designer. "The system pairs me with colleagues who have complementary approaches rather than similar backgrounds. It creates productive friction that usually strengthens the work."
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BBH's cultural changes since early 2024 have shown positive business results. Client retention has improved by 37% year-over-year, while average project scope has grown by 28% as existing clients expand their work with the agency. "Our cultural metrics connect to business outcomes," explains Jordan from the operations team. "When collaboration scores improve, we typically see corresponding increases in client satisfaction and project profitability. The culture investments are paying off in measurable ways."
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These changes have also affected talent, with employee turnover decreasing 42% since implementing these approaches. The agency has also attracted more diverse talent across backgrounds and disciplines. "Our culture has appealed to people who might not have considered agency work before," shares Elena from talent development. "We're seeing interest from candidates with technology backgrounds, management consulting experience, and other fields that bring fresh thinking to creative problems."
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Despite the positive changes, BBH's cultural evolution has faced challenges. The agency acknowledges periods of adjustment during the transition and continues refining their approaches. "The initial months of our new structure had some confusing moments," admits Thomas, a creative director. "We changed familiar processes while still developing new systems. Some projects stalled because responsibilities weren't always clear. Working through those difficulties together actually helped build commitment to the new approach."
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The agency now incorporates structured feedback through quarterly "Evolution Sessions" where team members evaluate what's working well and what needs adjustment. "Being open about what's not perfect yet creates trust," notes Amara, who joined six months ago. "Leaders acknowledge when initiatives aren't fully succeeding. We regularly discuss areas for improvement and work together on solutions."
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This comfort with being a work-in-progress extends to client relationships, with BBH developing a "Transparent Partnership" approach that involves clients in their evolution. "We've included clients in some of our Evolution Sessions," explains Martin from client services. "Letting them see how we're refining our approaches has actually strengthened relationships. Many appreciate being part of the process rather than just receiving finished work." As BBH continues developing their culture throughout 2025, the agency demonstrates that creative effectiveness comes from ongoing adaptation – a philosophy that influences both their client work and organizational approach as they navigate the changing agency landscape.
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