Alcatel-Lucent
Tricky twosome
P.B. Nageshwar
What happens when a merged entity is left with two marketing managers or two sales heads? A case in point is the Alcatel-Lucent merger. During the merger, the smooth settlement of HR issues was on top of the agenda for both companies. They decided to deal with both pre-merger and post-merger integration issues by holding a series of meetings between the top HR executives at the two companies. Issues such as salaries and benefits, designations, and other sensitive structural matters were discussed thoroughly.
Everything was planned around the Day 1—December 1, 2006— the day when the merger would become effective. Says Ronald D’Souza, HR Head, Alcatel-Lucent India: “We knew that on Day 1, the company would have two senior executives heading the same function. So, we decided that the best man would continue to hold the designation and the other one would be either given similar options in regions such as China or Singapore or be asked to sit back for sometime before we found the right opportunity for him/her.”
And this is what exactly happened after the merger. The company also made it clear that it did not have solutions to every problem; so those who had major problems adjusting to the post-merger situation were given time to move on.
Ronald D’Souza
Smart planning followed the initial communication. Before the merger, Alcatel was a major GSM player and Lucent a prominent CMDA player. “In order to retain the best human capital with us, the company tried to impart specific skills to employees on the best technologies of both the merged companies so that they could work on projects efficiently,” says D’Souza.
Getting the point across
In an M&A scenario, there is nothing called enough communication. Says P.B. Nageshwar, Head (Human Resources), Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj: “When we decided to go for a merger, employees were anxious about their future. While it was not possible to satisfy everyone, sufficient care was taken—by
P.B. Nageshwar
What happens when a merged entity is left with two marketing managers or two sales heads? A case in point is the Alcatel-Lucent merger. During the merger, the smooth settlement of HR issues was on top of the agenda for both companies. They decided to deal with both pre-merger and post-merger integration issues by holding a series of meetings between the top HR executives at the two companies. Issues such as salaries and benefits, designations, and other sensitive structural matters were discussed thoroughly.
Everything was planned around the Day 1—December 1, 2006— the day when the merger would become effective. Says Ronald D’Souza, HR Head, Alcatel-Lucent India: “We knew that on Day 1, the company would have two senior executives heading the same function. So, we decided that the best man would continue to hold the designation and the other one would be either given similar options in regions such as China or Singapore or be asked to sit back for sometime before we found the right opportunity for him/her.”
And this is what exactly happened after the merger. The company also made it clear that it did not have solutions to every problem; so those who had major problems adjusting to the post-merger situation were given time to move on.
Ronald D’Souza
Smart planning followed the initial communication. Before the merger, Alcatel was a major GSM player and Lucent a prominent CMDA player. “In order to retain the best human capital with us, the company tried to impart specific skills to employees on the best technologies of both the merged companies so that they could work on projects efficiently,” says D’Souza.
Getting the point across
In an M&A scenario, there is nothing called enough communication. Says P.B. Nageshwar, Head (Human Resources), Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj: “When we decided to go for a merger, employees were anxious about their future. While it was not possible to satisfy everyone, sufficient care was taken—by