In the public eye, mergers and acquisitions take place only for a brief moment in the spotlight: entity A joins entity B, some big numbers might be mentioned, and that’s the story.
The real story, however, takes place away from the spotlight, in the long months before and, especially, after the pen is put to paper. Mergers and acquisitions are largely powered by strategic business objectives, yet their success is predicated on a factor as old as humanity. That factor is, well, humanity.
People carry the weight of integration, both emotionally and operationally. Furthermore, people are often the deciding factor to the success of fusing two organizations – their endorsement and backing of the shared future are crucial. This endorsement is only possible if there is a cultural alignment and a shared vision between the two organizations.
The integration of HTEC and Mistral is the story of shared fundamental values and ways of operating.
The recognition of a high degree of cultural alignment between HTEC and Mistral was the starting point for any considerations of a shared future. Without this foundation, the two organizations would have simply never come together.
Common ground
Organizational culture is not a declarative statement or a list of abstract values. It is a collective mindset that evolves organically over time through the constant application of answers to the questions: how we approach our work, how we interact with our colleagues, and what we stand for in the greater scheme of things.
With HTEC and Mistral, we both owe a great deal of our success to a strong team culture established in the very beginnings and nurtured through our growth. It was shaped and fortified through consistent actions – from everyday interactions to major business decisions – which, over time, become principles and ways of operating.
The cultures of both of our organizations have grown from our persistent dedication to placing people before profits, treating them with respect and empathy, giving them trust and autonomy to enable them to grow and excel, empowering them to always swing for the fences in their work and encouraging them to stay hungry and continue growing.
Over the following lines we will take a closer look at the cultural symmetry that has served as the foundation for the ultimate unification of the two organizations.
HTEC and Mistral have both built a reputation as desirable employers through an unwavering commitment to making team members the center of focus. This is not only reflected in efforts to provide optimal work-life balance and the necessary support for each team member, but also in major business decisions.
We are both committed to making a positive impact on the world through their work. HTEC and Mistral have routinely rejected and continues to reject lucrative offers for work in areas not aligned with the collective values of the team – gambling, military, etc. Furthermore, we have drawn a hard line for working in accordance with our local time zones, rejecting client requests to conform to their time zones and their work hours.
Essentially, both HTEC and Mistral have succeeded in building inclusive and welcoming environments across multicultural geographies where passion for work and respect for coworkers are unifying factors that overcome all individual differences.
Fear stunts growth. When team members are afraid to make a mistake or speak their mind, they resign themselves to playing it safe and effectively support the status quo.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, trust and autonomy are the foundations of professional development. HTEC and Mistral have both strived to build a safe professional environment where everyone can speak openly and honestly and where respectful disagreement and honest feedback are welcomed.
Even through our recent expansion, we have maintained a high degree of autonomy on all levels, enabling team members to make fast decisions and adjust quickly to the ever-changing circumstances. The autonomy stems from the fundamental belief that if we all act to the best of our abilities and with the best of intentions good things will happen. This approach replaces tight supervision and micromanagement with trust and freedom. The degree of trust awarded to team members of both HTEC and Mistral also accounts for not just the inevitability of occasional mistakes, but also their formative value.
With both companies, we have thrived on an early understanding that hiring top talent also comes with the responsibility of providing them with room to make an impact – both in ways that are predefined and, perhaps more importantly, in innovative and surprising ways outside the scope of one’s job description. Employees are not expected to simply do what they are told, but also empowered to help shape and define the continued evolution of the organizations.
The impulse at the heart of growth of both HTEC and Mistral is the continued pursuit of excellence – not as a fixed point in the future, but excellence as a constant desire to improve and evolve. Both companies have shown a deep commitment to establish themselves as ideal platforms for the continued development of their team members, with a dedicated support system of mentorship, guidance, and continuous education.
This support system includes one key component – exposure. Our respective growth has generated more exposure to challenging and exciting projects, close collaboration with the leading minds of the world’s most innovative companies. This provides team members with an opportunity to sharpen and expand their skills at the very cutting edge of technology across various industries.
The other key component of continued development – one that can be only found in high-growth environments – is opportunity. Continued growth of the organization generates a wealth of opportunities for team members to not only show initiative and assume greater responsibility, but also to redefine the very nature of their roles and shape the course of the company.
All of these factors come together to create the ultimate launching pad for the individual growth of every team member, allowing them to define what excellence represents to them and then set the right coordinates for their future career paths.
Shared future
Stronger together, we have the capacity to continue to expand the already substantial platform for the development of our team members. We strive to enable our employees to impact the world from where they are, to make it possible to grow and thrive without having to move for greener pastures. To borrow a saying often heard around the hallways and watercoolers, we bring the Silicon Valley to our doorstep, empowering the region’s top talent to reach full professional realization right here in their own community.
The joining of forces between HTEC and Mistral is a monumental event. We understand that a change of this magnitude carries a complex mix of emotions for the people that make up our organizations. While uncertainty and doubt are not just understandable, but also unavoidable, they are also temporary. What is permanent is what connects us – our devotion to the people that have carried us to this point and our shared desire to create an ideal environment for them to thrive. Together, we have the power and the opportunity to build a better workplace, a better industry, and a better future.
We are excited for what the future holds and can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and start building it together.
