In just a few short years, Dyne, a leading muscle disease company, has quickly advanced from a small research to a clinical-stage company, and later this year, we expect initial clinical data from our co-lead programs, which will be important milestones for us. Through this incredible growth our culture and core values have and will continue to remain central to our success. Dyne’s patient and people-centric focus brought me to the company, and I feel privileged to contribute to our culture each day.
Nurturing a positive and thriving company culture is critical for any organization, but it becomes especially important for a rapidly growing biotechnology company. With every new turning point, we are reminded of the importance of fostering a strong company culture and not losing the essence of what it means to be a Dynamo (our term for Dyne employees).
Ensuring that our core values are more than just words on a page requires commitment and ownership from everyone in the organization and a culture that makes it possible to uphold our values continuously. As any company grows, cultivating culture can become difficult to consistently maintain, evolve, and integrate across an organization. We have been intentional about keeping our culture and core values at the forefront of how we operate, safeguarding them so we don’t lose sight of who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. This is what unites us and is key to everything we do from how we interact with one another, to our commitment to the patient community and to each other.
Rare Disease Day 2023
Recently, we set aside a full day for the entire company to focus on our core values. Asking people to put their phones, laptops, projects, and deadlines aside for what can be perceived as “non-critical” work, was a lot to ask, and admittedly, people were dreading it. Yet, dedicating a day for Dynamos to come together to get to know one another better, to focus on what makes Dyne unique and why we work so hard every day, was well worth the investment. It helped us ensure that we are viewing all aspects of business through the lens of not just what we do, but how we do it.
We started with patient keynote speakers, to ground us in why we do what we do each day. This was followed by a curated set of breakout activities intended to spark conversation, thought, and debate on what we do well and where we may need to put more focus as an organization to stay true to our core values and continue to enhance our culture as we grow and evolve. The day was a success beyond my (and many others’) expectations, and we are already building off the learnings and bonds that were established.
Insights from our Core Values Day are being incorporated into our daily work and relationships including our quarterly “Dyne Development Discussions” or “3D Weeks,” where we dedicate one week each quarter for managers and employees to discuss career development and to check in on progress towards goals, creating the space to build strong relationships and drive meaningful conversations. Encouraging these conversations further infuses our culture and values into the day-to-day operations at Dyne, creating an environment that prioritizes collaboration, inclusivity, and respect. We understand that our employees are our greatest asset, and it is our responsibility to actively build on principles of our culture and values to support them in their professional and personal growth.
As I shared earlier, we believe that every Dynamo owns our culture. It isn’t just the responsibility of HR, the CEO or the leadership team. For that reason, we have established a cross-functional and multi-level Culture Team that is empowered to identify ways to reinforce our company values, bring insights from across the business, and drive initiatives, including social and community events such as our FORCE for Good, company-wide service day. This is an annual event where we give back to the broader community while making stronger connections with each other outside of the office. We also set aside time during our Dynamo Summits, all hands meetings, for peer-to-peer recognition of colleagues who have shined in what they have done in line with our core values.
From the start, patients have been and remain the driving force behind everything we do, the decisions we make, and the urgency with which we work. Delivering for patients (a core value) was a focus of ours long before we had investigational therapeutics in the clinic which is why our Global Head of Patient Advocacy and KOL engagement was one of our earliest employees. She spearheads efforts to create ways for Dynamos to remain connected with the rare muscle disease community including commemorating Rare Disease Day with an annual event where we host members of the rare muscle disease community as well as Dynamos’ significant others and children. This event embodies the true essence of one of our core values, Dyne family, bringing together patients, thought leaders, colleagues and our families to talk about the work we are doing and why it matters. Dynamos and their families walk away with renewed motivation and inspiration through a better understanding of the community’s unique needs and challenges, which helps us as we work to develop therapeutics that are truly impactful and provide meaningful benefits. Truly having patients at the center is a key feature of our culture that makes Dyne special, and it’s what excites me to bring the best people here to deliver for this community.
Our core values are the foundation of our culture and of our success and will enable us to deliver on our mission to bring transformative medicines to patients and their families with serious muscle diseases. It’s why we’re here and what unites us.
