Insider Profile: What is BBH doing differently with their culture that most companies just don’t get?
Feature with HYER
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Walk into BBH's offices and the first thing you'll notice is what's missing – department signs, fixed seating arrangements, and the invisible barriers that typically separate strategy, creative, and production teams. In their place is a buzzing ecosystem where strategists sketch concepts, designers reshape briefs, and producers jump into brainstorms from day one. This is "Borderless Teams" in action – BBH's bold bet that the best ideas emerge when traditional agency roles blend together.
BBH's cultural transformation didn't happen on a whim. It was a deliberate response to clear market signals that the traditional agency model was hitting its limits. "Client needs have fundamentally changed," explains Alex, BBH's Chief Strategy Officer. "They're looking for solutions, not just campaigns. Problems that cross channels, blend online and offline, and require faster responses than the traditional agency process could deliver. Our culture needed to evolve because our clients' challenges already had."
The agency studied its project history and found that their most successful work came from teams that had organically broken down departmental boundaries. Meanwhile, projects that followed the standard sequential process often took longer, required more revisions, and delivered less innovative solutions. "We had compelling data showing that cross-functional collaboration wasn't just nice to have, it was essential to our future success," notes Rebecca from the agency's operations team. "When we mapped our client feedback against our internal working processes, the pattern was clear – our structure needed to match how creative problems actually get solved, not how agencies have traditionally been organized."
Why the need for change?
"We got tired of brilliant strategies dying in execution and amazing creative concepts that solved the wrong problem," explains Sarah, Executive Creative Director. "So we blew up the assembly line. No more strategy creating a brief, handing it to creative, who then pass it to production. Now everyone's in the room from the start, building together." This isn't just moving desks around. BBH developed "Creative Confluence" – a framework that turns the messy collision of different disciplines into structured problem-solving sessions. The approach uses specific question patterns and role rotation to prevent territorial standoffs while preserving the productive tension that drives innovative thinking.
"I was skeptical at first," admits Marcus, a strategist who joined in 2023. "I worried my strategic thinking would get watered down or ignored. But the opposite happened. My insights actually shape the work because I'm part of the creative process, not just the person who writes the brief and hopes for the best." These mixed-discipline teams form, adapt, and dissolve around client challenges rather than existing as fixed departments. The agency calls this model "Creative Ecosystems" – an approach that prioritizes project needs over organizational charts. Teams still have leaders, but leadership rotates based on the phase of work rather than defaulting to the most senior person in the room.
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."
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."
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."
A Different Approach to Information
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."
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.
"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.
"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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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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