Company: Senti Biosciences
Function: Synthetic biology and gene therapies
Industry: Biotechnology
Fun Facts:
- Using Gene Circuits, Senti Bio’s therapeutics are designed to precisely kill cancer cells, spare healthy cells, increase specificity to target cells and control the expression of drugs even after administration.
- Senti Bio is developing a cell therapy called SENTI-202 to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
TL;DR:
Senti Bio faced cultural challenges as it expanded from a small startup to a large public organization. To preserve its collaborative culture and foster inclusivity amid rapid change, Senti Bio partnered with LifeLabs Learning to implement a tailored training program. Curated workshops helped employees embrace change, validate their experiences, and strengthen connections across the organization. Notable outcomes included increased transparency, a reassessment of managerial practices, and a resilient, adaptable culture.
Situation
Senti Bio, a leader in next-generation cell and gene therapies, was transitioning from a small, private R&D-focused startup to a growing, public preclinical operation. The company nearly tripled its workforce in a year, adding new managers with diverse professional backgrounds.
This rapid expansion shifted the company’s close-knit culture, creating stratification as the workforce grew from mostly scientists to a broader array of professionals. Divisions emerged among original team members, early hires, and a new cohort of experienced managers. “We wanted unity, engagement, and connection,” shared Dee Olomajeye Dragon, VP of People Strategy & Culture, but the fast pace created cultural divides.
Many new managers came in with “culture backpacks” — habits and expectations from prior roles — which didn’t always align with Senti Bio’s values. This created an urgent need to build trust and inclusivity and prepare managers to lead through change while preserving the company’s bold, collaborative culture. Senti Bio’s lean people operations team of three members took on this challenge.
“The goal was to get people into roles, to get things done,” said Dragon. “The challenge was that we didn’t have a big budget or time and expertise in-house to create and test the right training.”
Senti Bio decided to look externally for an experienced partner to help guide the team. “We knew what we needed to address,” Dragon said, “but we needed help finding the right process to rapidly unify our team and move forward with achieving our corporate objectives.”
Solution
Senti Bio sought a flexible, research-backed training partner that could offer an affordable, fully-developed solution to meet their specific needs – immediately. LifeLabs Learning provided a proven, turnkey solution aligned with the company’s culture and guiding principles.
Working closely with Senti Bio’s team, a LifeLabs Learning Impact Consultant helped address the company’s key challenges by designing a custom program, including three workshops: Rapid Trust, Behaviors of Inclusion, and Skillful Conflict & Collaboration.
Prioritizing leadership training, Senti Bio began with Rapid Trust for its managers so they could establish credibility and foster team unity quickly. This was followed by company-wide Behaviors of Inclusion training, which helped all employees understand the organization’s evolving culture and shape their interactions. To enhance their skills further, managers also participated in Skillful Conflict & Collaboration to effectively navigate and resolve conflicts.
LifeLabs Learning equipped Senti Bio’s People Ops team with tools to promote the training sessions internally, explaining the program’s importance and connection to company goals. This helped build engagement and participation across the organization.
“We wanted people to understand this wasn’t just for managers or just for some people. Everyone needed to be in a room, receiving the same content and the language with which to have these change discussions within the company,” said Dragon.
“We wanted people to understand this wasn’t just for managers or just for some people. Everyone needed to be in a room, receiving the same content and the language with which to have these change discussions within the company,”
— Dee Olomajeye Dragon, VP of People Strategy & Culture
Results
After the training, Senti Bio saw notable improvements in three key areas:
Increased Awareness
Employees came together to recognize the significant changes at Senti Bio as it transitioned from a small team to a larger entity. Employees’ feelings of disconnection were acknowledged and validated. The training surfaced common challenges around trust and inclusion, fostering open dialogues where everyone could voice their experiences and concerns. This environment of candid communication built a culture of transparency.
Reassessment of Practices
Managers reflected on past practices that didn’t align with Senti Bio’s values and culture. This prompted a critical reassessment of the mindsets and behaviors they brought from previous workplaces. By revisiting processes and expectations, Senti Bio engaged in remedial work to ensure future practices aligned with its culture of collaboration and intrinsic motivation.
Expanded Culture
Rather than returning to past norms, Senti Bio embraced a culture of ongoing change, recognizing the continuous ambiguity in the company’s work. The training shifted focus from ‘managing change’ to cultivating a dynamic environment where employees grew comfortable with uncertainty. This built resiliency as employees learned to navigate ongoing shifts, and managers gained a deeper understanding of their teams’ challenges, supporting a more collaborative approach.
Dragon said, “The training helped people stay aware that things will keep changing. Instead of seeking certainty, they’re now in a mindset where they are seeking knowledge, balance, connection and flexibility — knowing we’re in it together and change is ‘a feature, not a bug’ in this journey — allowing us to aim for goals that are actually achievable.”
Looking ahead, Senti Bio plans to continue partnering with LifeLabs Learning to proactively align and support its culture from onboarding through the entire employee journey.
“The training helped people stay aware that things will keep changing. Instead of seeking certainty, they’re now in a mindset where they are seeking knowledge, balance, connection and flexibility — knowing we’re in it together and change is ‘a feature, not a bug’ in this journey — allowing us to aim for goals that are actually achievable.”
— Dee Olomajeye Dragon, VP of People Strategy & Culture
Senti Bio’s Key Learnings
Find the Right Partner
Employee development doesn’t have to be a solo mission for people ops teams.
Partnering with experts like LifeLabs Learning, who specialize in this work, provides a proven approach and essential support. Instead of trying to build and run training in-house, a strong partner allows you to step back, join the sessions, and learn alongside your team. This way, everyone, from leaders to new hires, can experience the training fully.
Be Transparent – Acknowledge and Embrace Change Openly
Don’t ignore the challenges that come with change, and don’t dismiss what people are experiencing.
Employees need honest acknowledgment of their feelings, recognizing that the pace and scope of change can feel overwhelming. Creating a space for people to voice their experiences and understand that support is on the way creates an environment of shared resilience. This approach gives employees peace of mind and a sense of solidarity: “We see what you’re going through, and we’re here to help.”
What Senti Bio Values Most About Partnering with LifeLabs Learning:
“Easy… the people!” said Dee Olomajeye Dragon, VP of People Strategy & Culture at Senti Bio.
“The facilitators have been exceptional — flexible, inclusive, energetic – and our Impact Consultant incredibly adaptive. From day one, LifeLabs Learning showed an understanding of our unique challenges and constraints, tailoring a solution that fit our budget and timeline without compromising quality. Their team brings “just-in-time” energy to everything they do, keeping materials fresh and research up-to-date, which aligns perfectly with our fast-paced, evolving culture.
Having a partner who can move at what we call ‘the speed of Senti’ — where things move at an exceptionally rapid pace — is incredibly helpful. It’s why we’re coming back for more!”
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