Nick Avery
Chief People Officer
Carta
Episode 22
Beyond rigid plans: Culture and AI radically transform HR for successful change.
Current chapter: This episode is presented by Previ, the only free tool that boosts internal communication
Built By PeopleDecember 16, 2025 · 16:08
Thesis
“The success of organizational change, particularly post-acquisition, is fundamentally driven by nuanced cultural integration and authentic communication rather than rigid plans. Traditional HR practices like performance management are outdated and necessitate a radical shift towards real-time, data-driven feedback, significantly powered by AI.”
Show notes
Summary
In this episode of the Built by People podcast, Nick Avery discusses his role at Carta, focusing on the integration of new acquisitions and the challenges of cultural integration. He emphasizes the importance of communication in ensuring a smooth transition and shares insights on balancing meetings with strategic initiatives. Nick also addresses the impact of AI on HR processes and the tools essential for team efficiency. He advocates for a shift in performance management and encourages a culture of risk-taking and innovation within organizations.
Takeaways
We're building an ERP for private capital.
Culture is a funny thing.
Communication is key and it sounds basic, but it's true.
Meetings can often be a time suck.
I think AI has a lot of opportunity.
Performance management processes disappoint so many people.
We need to take on more risk.
Now's the time for big ideas.
We're rethinking everything at Carta.
I love it. I love pulling in Einstein for that.
What you'll take away
- 1Successful mergers and acquisitions are primarily determined by cultural integration, requiring adaptability and a 'plan B' approach beyond initial strategies.
- 2Effective communication during change involves both formal announcements and consistent, in-person engagement from leadership to address concerns and prevent assumptions.
- 3Conventional wisdom around one-on-one meetings should be challenged; exploring alternative, more efficient ways to foster employee connection may be beneficial.
- 4HR needs to rapidly embrace AI, moving beyond individual productivity enhancements to embedding AI for collective organizational efficiency and the deployment of AI agents.
- 5Traditional performance management processes are often ineffective and disliked. The future lies in AI-driven, real-time performance feedback, akin to sports analytics.
- 6HR professionals should embrace risk and innovation, challenging established norms and rethinking processes rather than operating as a 'control function'.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Contemplating canceling all one-on-ones, questioning their essential role in driving engagement compared to other forms of connection.
- •States that performance management is 'one of the worst things ever invented by HR' due to its consistent ability to disappoint people, advocating for separating performance measurement/feedback from the process itself.
- •Challenges HR professionals to 'take on more risk' and stop acting as a 'control function,' emphasizing innovation and rethinking everything.
In Nick's words
“when it comes to integration, a plan is great and being able to kind of deploy plan B quickly is even better.”
Highlights the dynamic and unpredictable nature of M&A integration, emphasizing adaptability.
“Communication is key and it sounds basic, but it's, it's true.”
Underlines the fundamental and often overlooked importance of clear communication in complex organizational changes.
“I'm contemplating just canceling them all and, you know, freeing up time and concentrating on connecting with people in other ways.”
Challenges a deeply ingrained HR practice, suggesting a fresh perspective on fostering employee connection.
“I think the area that I'd call out is performance management. I think it's one of the worst things ever invented by HR and forced upon organizations. I mean, I really just hate it.”
A strong, contrarian opinion on a widely adopted HR process, setting the stage for AI's disruptive role.
“Performance management processes are different to measuring performance and providing feedback. Those two things we tend to conflate in HR, but they're separate.”
Distinguishes between the administrative process and the essential functions of performance management, identifying a core issue.
“I would like the community, all of us, to take on more risk. We're not a control function.”
A call to action for HR professionals to be more innovative and embrace change rather than adhering to rigid controls.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Achieving successful cultural integration and preventing assumptions during M&A, especially across international borders.
- •Effectively communicating organizational changes and securing buy-in from newly acquired teams.
- •Combating inefficient and non-strategic meetings, including the potential time drain of traditional one-on-ones.
- •Navigating the 'tsunami' of AI to move beyond individual productivity gains to achieving collective organizational efficiency with AI agents.
- •The widespread dissatisfaction and ineffectiveness of conventional performance management processes.
- •Sifting through numerous AI vendors to identify tools that deliver genuine business outcomes rather than just claiming AI capabilities.
In this episode
This episode is presented by Previ, the only free tool that boosts internal communication
Built by People
What is the top priority for Carta this quarter
Q4 2018
Trey: Having done a few integrations, one thing's clear
The Challenges of the Integrations
Communication is key, right? How do you get teams to buy in
How Do You Get the Teams to Buy the Carta?
I'm contemplating just canceling all meetings and focusing on other things
One-on-ones: Should We Cancel Them?
The challenge that we're all facing in this space is really AI
What is keeping you up at night? AI
Are there any tools that would really enhance and help us right now
Role of AI in HR
If you were to come back in 12 months, what would you hope has changed
If I Were to Retire in 12 Months, What Would I
To leave the company or to leave more to the people listening to the podcast
A Few Words for The Built by People
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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