While mergers mean change, they also mean opportunity. And this could be your opportunity to shine. Remember much of what happens is way out of your control. What is in your control is how you handle yourself. First do as much research on the purchasing company as you can. Check out their career section and find out what kind of people they hire or are hiring. Look at their executive structure. Check out other acquisitions they have made or other companies with which they have merged. Figure out their philosophy from available information. The purchasing company is likely to be in a similar business (not always), check their structure. Check their social media. Find people in LinkedIn who might work for them and possibly network with them.
Think about it. No matter what else, every company needs documentation and merged companies need more. Especially if you are working in a federally regulated industry like commercial airlines, cable and communications, or medical devices. They are likely to have to file their operating procedures with their governing agency. So they will have to merge two sets of operating procedures into one. This is no small task. So look for those opportunities. It is very likely that the purchased company will be undergoing the most change. Although that is not always the case.
They probably don’t have the same record keeping computer systems, so they will be choosing which one to go forward with or because they are a bigger company now, they might opt to choose one neither of the two companies have used. Opportunity! One company or the other or both will be migrating systems. This requires documentation and training. It requires a communication strategy. Who better to fill that bill but a trained and experienced technical communicator or better yet a technical communications team?
Who better to analyze the existing documentation and documentation structure in both companies from how information is disseminated to how information is consumed? Who better to compile the analysis into a detailed report complete with recommendations for the leadership team to chew on? Who better is there to come up with a documentation merging migration plan? Who better to come up with a training plan? Who best to come up with an implementation plan? Who best to come up with a communication plan? Last but not least,who better to execute on all that planning for a successful transition to a new technical communication program upon which the new company can build. Hmmm, I wonder? I’m wondering, do you see any opportunity there?
A savvy technical communicator will see opportunity written all over that last paragraph. If you have an ounce of strategic thinking in your brain, you can come up with all these plans. If you don’t, and it’s not bad if you don’t, I suggest that you partner with someone who is strong in strategic thinking. While you might be strong in execution, the two of you partnering up would be unstoppable. I’m a huge believer in strategic partnerships. All that means is you determine your strengths. I recommend taking the Strength Finders Test and find someone on your team who has the opposite strengths and partner with them. Don’t waste your time trying to overcome your weaknesses. Partnerships are far more effective.
For example, my number one strength is strategic thinking and I’m a big picture person. I see the big picture and can create a path for getting there. Planning is my thing. My weaknesses are in execution and details. Which is totally why I partner with someone whose strengths are in the details and an expert at executing on a plan. With partnerships like those, winning is just a matter of time.
Expect that you will need to show the new management structure that you not only understand these kinds of changes are going to take place, you will also show that you have ideas and strategies to handle the choices they make. There will be training and documentation opportunities whatever they choose.
There will likely be a transition team that will be engaged to smooth out the transition. It could be called something like Change Management or Change Enablement or even simply the Transition Team. No matter. That team will likely be managed by either an outside consultant or be made up of current employees on both sides of the merger. Wangle a position on this team. Leadership might overlook the critical need for a technical communicator to be on that team. Educate them the best you can.
The people on the transition team are going to be the best positioned to do well when all is said and done with the transition or migration to the newly formed company. At a minimum, this team will have the most up-to-date knowledge on what is happening every minute of now and of what is coming down the pike. They’ll be planning for all eventualities and coming up with strategies to engage employees at every level in the changes. I would want to be on this team. And technical communications will play a pivotal role (they should instinctively know this) but again, they might not. Do not under any circumstances be shy about providing this information. Of course you might need to be savvy in your approach and probably use every influencing skill you can muster. But you can do it.
The beauty of our profession, is that we are used to digging for information. For finding the folks who are in the know, extracting what they know and formalizing what they know. We are also great at formulating critical questions without being offensive and we are the best listeners. During a merger, those skills will serve you well. Distinguish yourself. Do not join the folks in the corner waiting for the hatchet to fall and gossip with them about how awful things are.
Remember, change is a wonderful opportunity for a technical communicator. Draw on all those skills you’ve developed over time and be prepared to sell them. And at the same time, polish up your resume. Make sure all the project teams on which you participated and their successes are well documented. There is truly nothing more empowering than being present to all the contributions you have made where you are now and where you have been. I personally keep a notebook of all those projects and my contributions. I review it on regular basis. Sometimes we have to be our own best cheerleaders.
If it comes to pass that you have to find a new company to contribute to, it might just be the best thing ever. While sometimes ignorant and short-sighted leadership teams look to the documentation team to make cuts, in my very long career as a technical communicator, I have never been out of work very long. Every new opportunity that was presented to me has been better than the last, even if they are opportunities I’ve had to create for myself. #mergers #technical communications
Great ideas to keep in mind during a merger
Great tips, Connie! Thank you!