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 Traditional HR practices like performance management are outdated and necessitate a radical shift towards real-time, data-driven feedback, significantly powered by AI.”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
Carta is building what it calls the "ERP for private capital" — a foundational platform for the private markets. That kind of ambition comes with a specific kind of people challenge: you're integrating acquisitions, managing cultural collisions, and simultaneously trying to rethink every inherited HR process at scale. Nick Avery, CPO at Carta, is doing all three at once, and he's not especially sentimental about any of it.
His M&A philosophy is unusually honest: have a plan, but deploy Plan B faster than most people admit is necessary. Integration is never what you model it to be. The cultural dynamics you discover on day 30 are different from what due diligence suggested on day minus-30. The organizations that integrate well aren't the ones with the best playbook — they're the ones who are willing to abandon it and adapt. Communication is the thread: not just formal announcements, but consistent in-person engagement from leadership that prevents the assumption gap from widening into distrust.
His takes on HR orthodoxy are equally sharp. He thinks performance management is "one of the worst things HR ever invented" — a process that reliably disappoints people regardless of intent — and is building toward an AI-driven, real-time feedback model that functions more like sports analytics than annual reviews. And he's openly questioning whether one-on-ones, as typically structured, are worth the time they consume.
What you'll learn:
- The M&A integration reality at Carta — and why "Plan B" is the actual plan
- How communication bridges cultural gaps during acquisitions (and what happens when it doesn't)
- Why Nick calls performance management "one of the worst things HR ever invented" — and what replaces it
- The AI-driven, real-time performance feedback model Carta is building toward
- Why he's questioning the value of one-on-one meetings as currently structured
- His call for HR to take more risk and stop operating as a "control function"
Built by People is presented by Previ — the free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication engagement.
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
Full transcript
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