Acquihire joins two words, acquisition and hire, referring to acquiring a business primarily for its competent workforce rather than its services or products. Moreover, in an acquihire, the acquiring business generally absorbs the acquired business's workers and intellectual property while discarding the rest of the company.
In addition, acquihires are typically seen in the tech industry, where the need for qualified workers usually surpasses the supply. Business startups with a competent team of designers, engineers, or developers may be acquired by larger businesses looking to engage top talent without running through the prolonged and competitive hiring procedure.
Key Steps for a Seamless Acquihire
While Acquihires can usually take multiple forms, they always follow an equivalent approach. Here are the necessary steps involved in the seamless working of an acquihire:
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Determining the Target Business
The acquiring firm determines a startup or small business with a qualified employee workforce in a distinct domain or industry. The target company may be struggling to make a profit or gain traction, but it has a skilled team of employees sought after in the industry.
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Mediating the Deal
The acquiring business negotiates with the target firm, which generally concerns acquiring most of its assets and recruiting its workers. The acquisition cost is usually based on the worth of the employees and intellectual property rather than the whole company's worth.
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Merging the Workers
After the deal is completed, the acquiring firm merges the contracted workers into its existing operations. The workers may be offered new job designations, wages, and benefits, but they are nearly the team they were before the acquisition.
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Disposing of the Leftover Assets
The acquiring business may choose to dispose of the surplus assets of the acquired business, such as its products or services, or it may continue to grow them under its brand.
Benefits of Acquihire
Acquihires can be advantageous for both the acquiring firm and the acquired workers. Below are some of the benefits of an acquihire:
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Access to Valuable Intellectual Property
Acquihires usually acquire intellectual property, such as copyrights, patents, or trademarks. It can be helpful to the acquiring business and help it to remain ahead of its contenders.
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Access to the Best Talent
Acquihires allow acquiring businesses to quickly and effortlessly recruit a team of professional workers without going through the complicated and competitive hiring procedure. It is especially valuable in the tech industry, where the demand for skilled employees is rising daily.
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Cost-Effective
The process of acquihire can be a cost-effective way for acquiring businesses to develop their operations and reinforce their market position. Recruiting a team of skilled workers can be more reasonable than building a workforce from scratch or acquiring a business with a high valuation.
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Less Risk
Acquihires are less risky than conventional acquisitions because the emphasis is on the talent rather than the company. The acquiring company is not taking on the liabilities and obligations of the acquired business and can dispose of any undesirable assets.
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Accelerated Growth
With acquihire, the acquiring company can accelerate as they access the target company's products, intellectual property, and technologies. The acquiring company can leverage its target assets to improve its market reach, increase its revenue streams and enhance its product offerings. It can further assist the acquiring company in attaining its growth purposes in a shorter duration.
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Limitations of Acquihire
While acquihire has numerous benefits, you cannot overlook its drawbacks. Some prevalent limitations of acquihire are as follows:
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Cultural Disparities
Cultural differences between the target and acquiring companies can pose a considerable challenge. The acquiring business may have a distinct management philosophy, work style, and communication strategy, which may not align with the target organization's culture. In addition, the target company's workers may find adjusting to the new culture challenging, leading to reduced confidence, opposition to change, and decreased productivity.
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Integration Difficulties
Acquihire can lead to integration issues between the acquiring business and the target company's workers. The workers may have distinct work values, cultures, and objectives, creating disputes and delaying effective cooperation. Moreover, the acquiring company may also have to deal with monotonies and job losses, which can demotivate and discourage the retained workers.
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High Costs
Acquihire can also be costly, especially for startups and developing businesses that do not have a considerable capital base. The acquisition expense and the retention prices of the target business's employees can greatly strain the acquiring company's finances. Moreover, the acquiring business may have to invest in training and expansion programs to merge the target company's workers into its workforce, which can add to the expenses.
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Restricted Control
Acquihire can even restrict the acquiring business's control over the target business's workers. Since the target organization's employees are usually hired for their technical aptitudes and expertise, they may not be ready to work according to the acquiring company's standards, regulations, and procedures. It can create stress between the two groups, leading to a breakdown in collaboration, communication, and productivity.
Key Terms
- Talent Acquisition: The comprehensive procedure of finding and drawing professional and skilled employees to fill job vacancies in an organization.
- Startups: Newly established businesses, usually in the technology domain, with an emphasis on innovation and growth.
- Merger and Acquisition (M&A): A corporate approach merging two or more businesses into one entity.
- Retention: The process of retaining talented workers within an organization through incentives such as benefits, salary, and career development possibilities.
- Human Resources: The division accountable for handling an organization's workforce, including hiring, recruitment, training, and performance management.
Conclusion
To summarize, acquihire is a comprehensive process through which a business acquires another business primarily to obtain its qualified workers. It is a strategic action for businesses looking to boost their growth and develop their workforce. The acquihire strategy is usually a win-win situation for both businesses involved as it delivers the target company's workers with a new opportunity. In contrast, acquiring businesses access to a pool of qualified and trained workers to gain a competitive edge in the market.
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