Case study: when does a team become a crowd? Innocent Drinks

In July 2006 Innocent Drinks won the 'company of the year' award in a ceremony organised by the UK entrepreneurship magazine, Business XL. The judges commented that despite its growth to over £37 million worth of revenue and 100 employees, it had managed to retain the culture and enthusiasm of a small enterprise. Although the company had not yet reached its tenth birthday (it was formed in August 1998 and sold its first batch of smoothies the following May), this award was not the first it had notched up in its short life. Many are accolades for the products themselves - it won Best UK Soft Drink at the Quality Food and Drink Awards or so-called 'foodie oscars' for four successive years from 2002-2005 - and others are awards for entrepreneurship and business success. But one, the Guardian Employer of the Year Award in 2005, was made for the company's approach to managing people, an approach which clearly has a strong focus on the development and maintenance of a strong team culture.