Making small company acquisitions work.
March 14, 2010 3:46 PM Subscribe
Got any tips for making a newly acquired team feel at home in their new company?
My team is going to provide services to a team of folks in a newly acquired company. We're in the Western US, they're in France. They're a small team, we're a slightly bigger, but still small, company.
I'm sensitive to the fact that cultures will be different, and distance will be a bitch. But I'm curious about how we can make them feel at home and at ease with who they could perceive as their new American overlords.
Has your small company ever been bought? What'd the new company do to make you feel good? What'd they do to piss you off? Anything you wish you could do over?
Thank you.
My team is going to provide services to a team of folks in a newly acquired company. We're in the Western US, they're in France. They're a small team, we're a slightly bigger, but still small, company.
I'm sensitive to the fact that cultures will be different, and distance will be a bitch. But I'm curious about how we can make them feel at home and at ease with who they could perceive as their new American overlords.
Has your small company ever been bought? What'd the new company do to make you feel good? What'd they do to piss you off? Anything you wish you could do over?
Thank you.
When a company I worked for was acquired by a German company, our U.S. management team arranged group German language lessons, on company time, 3 days a week, with the Goethe Institute. In 12 weeks, we didn't learn that much German, but our attempt scored points in Germany, and we were at least able to greet and pass pleasantries with our German visitors, as they came in for integration activities.
You might schedule some group French lessons, whether anybody expects to actually learn much French. And insist that everybody on the American team avoid using slang and idioms in spoken and written communications with the French team.
posted by paulsc at 4:26 PM on March 14, 2010
You might schedule some group French lessons, whether anybody expects to actually learn much French. And insist that everybody on the American team avoid using slang and idioms in spoken and written communications with the French team.
posted by paulsc at 4:26 PM on March 14, 2010
In addition to timezones, it would be helpful to give them a list of your holidays and ask them for a list of theirs. While many major holidays are well known globally, there may be a couple that will be new to each of you.
posted by katemcd at 4:50 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by katemcd at 4:50 PM on March 14, 2010
I don't speak French. Not a word. I'm told that I have a horrendous accent when I attempt to speak it. And yet, when I go to France, I try. I usually get about three halting words into a conversation before the waiter/hotel clerk/docent takes pity on me and speaks to me in perfect English. Sometimes mere seconds after acting like they have no idea what some stereotypical Ugly American is saying to them.
The key is that I try. Do the same thing (and take finding.perdita's advice) as you integrate them. Try to make it painless for everyone, but especially them, and they will recognize that.
(I'm also tempted to have one of your workers make an intentional albeit easily forgiven minor gaffe just so you can correct that worker and apologize to the new team, but that's a bit too Machiavellian for most people.)
posted by Etrigan at 5:45 PM on March 14, 2010
The key is that I try. Do the same thing (and take finding.perdita's advice) as you integrate them. Try to make it painless for everyone, but especially them, and they will recognize that.
(I'm also tempted to have one of your workers make an intentional albeit easily forgiven minor gaffe just so you can correct that worker and apologize to the new team, but that's a bit too Machiavellian for most people.)
posted by Etrigan at 5:45 PM on March 14, 2010
If you have the resources, set up a rotation where one member of their team works out of your office for a week or two, and then one member of your team who interacts with them works out of their office for a week or two, and so on. Spending a decent amount of time with a different team in person helps a lot.
Also, in my experience, a lot of decisions get made in the main office as a result of informal meetings. Be sure to keep the French guys in the loop as much as you can. Although I imagine they're happy to be acquired, they're probably also a bit nervous about their role, and keeping them up-to-date on company doings should help.
posted by A dead Quaker at 7:36 PM on March 14, 2010
Also, in my experience, a lot of decisions get made in the main office as a result of informal meetings. Be sure to keep the French guys in the loop as much as you can. Although I imagine they're happy to be acquired, they're probably also a bit nervous about their role, and keeping them up-to-date on company doings should help.
posted by A dead Quaker at 7:36 PM on March 14, 2010
Get over there. I've run offshore teams for several years and managed a newly acquired company, and the single biggest factors are not assuming that company culture will transfer by osmosis and getting some presence on the ground that shows the new team that you care.
For this reason, I strongly favor secondment from your head office. It creates a cultural bridge that navigates the communication back channels most companies have. It also gives you someone on the ground to take the temperature and get a sense of the team's internal politics and which buttons to push, sacred cows etc. The other (in my view) less attractive option is secondment from the new team to head office. It doesn't hurt to get people over on a regular basis, though.
Failing secondment, make sure you visit regularly so that "management" isn't directly equated with somebody on the end of a telephone line making decisions nobody understands.
Finally, give careful thought to non-official communications - by which I mean things that are taken for read in your office but which your satellite team wouldn't necessarily have a means to know - hirings, firings, new initiatives, growth plans, pressures etc. Teams can get quickly disaffected when they start hearing important stuff second or third hand.
Finally, finally - work out who your "keepers" are quickly and secure them. Being in a small company and being bought by a big company is a big change. Some people react well. For some people it's a rebirth and often employees who didn't succeed under the old regime find a bit of judicious networking pays off. This is great if they're talent, but not so great if they're positioning themselves as something they're not. Hence my comment about getting a feel on the ground quickly. It's easy to lose a lot of talent quickly, so if you need them work quickly to lock people in, either emotionally or financially.
posted by MuffinMan at 11:24 PM on March 14, 2010
For this reason, I strongly favor secondment from your head office. It creates a cultural bridge that navigates the communication back channels most companies have. It also gives you someone on the ground to take the temperature and get a sense of the team's internal politics and which buttons to push, sacred cows etc. The other (in my view) less attractive option is secondment from the new team to head office. It doesn't hurt to get people over on a regular basis, though.
Failing secondment, make sure you visit regularly so that "management" isn't directly equated with somebody on the end of a telephone line making decisions nobody understands.
Finally, give careful thought to non-official communications - by which I mean things that are taken for read in your office but which your satellite team wouldn't necessarily have a means to know - hirings, firings, new initiatives, growth plans, pressures etc. Teams can get quickly disaffected when they start hearing important stuff second or third hand.
Finally, finally - work out who your "keepers" are quickly and secure them. Being in a small company and being bought by a big company is a big change. Some people react well. For some people it's a rebirth and often employees who didn't succeed under the old regime find a bit of judicious networking pays off. This is great if they're talent, but not so great if they're positioning themselves as something they're not. Hence my comment about getting a feel on the ground quickly. It's easy to lose a lot of talent quickly, so if you need them work quickly to lock people in, either emotionally or financially.
posted by MuffinMan at 11:24 PM on March 14, 2010
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You're 8 hours apart right now - that will extend to 9 when France moves to daylight saving in 2 weeks. So try and make sure that you arrange to speak to them and hold teleconferences early in the morning your time. And share the pain - come in early some days rather than expect them to stay late all the time. Get to know them and their working hours and (where possible) work around that.
It can work really well - at the end of your day you can email them with things they need to do, and they'll be done when you get into the office the next day. And vice versa - you have all day to do things they need from you.
As a general comment - ask them what they expect from you - and keep asking for feedback - get some goodwill going early and that will smooth the path later when problems arise.
Good luck!
posted by finding.perdita at 4:03 PM on March 14, 2010 [1 favorite]