Asseco Business Solutions, which is the result of merging five companies, i.e. Incenti, Wapro, Softlab, Safo and Anica System, also operates in the Lublin IT Upland.
The merger was initiated by Adam Góral who wished to establish a booming company which would be a leading provider of IT solutions for companies. At present, Asseco BS effectively operates on the Polish market and abroad. It provides HR and ERP IT systems and mobile applications supporting commercial networks. The company’s income exceeds a hundred million of PLN.
Almost 700 people are employed in Asseco BS. The company implements projects for global corporations and European companies. “We don’t like to be considered a corporation. We want to be perceived as a value-driven company which is managed in a modern way and which has set a clear business objective,” explains Piotr Masłowski, the vice president of Asseco BS management board. “The termcorporation is associated with the lack of freedom and wild capitalism in which employees are exploited in order to earn as much as possible. Freedom doesn’t mean the lack of borders. It means reasonable establishment of them. We’ve got considerable experience and realise that both employees and their enthusiasm to create something new are a part of our success. We appreciate good spirit and reasonable management. Start-ups often fail because everyone does what they want. When a number of people work effectively, they will achieve success. The business objective should be clearly specified, e.g. who our client is, what product we have to offer and what value the product has for our client. We should also ask ourselves if we are able to sell our product. A number of companies produce different things but then they don’t know how to sell their products,” says Piotr Masłowski.
“We observe that Lublin develops quicker and more money is spent on the IT sector here. There are people who have an idea for our city, which makes me satisfied. New companies from the IT sector don’t pose a problem for us, but they provide additional motivation. It will make us better,” explains Piotr Masłowski.
Due to the fact that there is insufficient number of IT specialists on the market, companies are constantly looking for new employees. How is Asseco Business Solutions different? “Our DNA defines our dreams, i.e. things which today seem to be out of reach, but we believe that they will come true with hard work. What is another important thing are the values. First of all, they mean culture which we create and which is clear for most of our employees, despite not being formalised. It means that when new employees come to us, after some time they understand the nature of our work. The idea is simple: we want to provide solutions bringing business advantage and we want to be paid fairly. We create value for companies which they want to pay for,” says Piotr Masłowski. “It is equally important to avert chaos. Principles and clearly specified processes must be applied in companies so that people would understand what they produce. The prepared plan should be consistently implemented and changed if need be. This is, however, incredibly difficult. Changes to business are essential but they should be implemented only when everything goes smoothly in a company. Only then is a company strong enough and has energy to introduce changes. When something goes wrong in the company, it can be too late for changes,” says Piotr Masłowski.
The aim of Asseco BS is not to generate income but to develop innovative IT solutions useful in business. Income is just the result of these activities. “Income isn’t the goal of success; it’s a measure of it. This approach helps us avoid making wrong decisions. If you are focused on money, you can lose it easily. People always try to take shortcuts. A mature organisation can provide each person with information about what they should do, what responsibilities they have got and, at the same time, how to satisfy all employees. It’s not possible, however, to create an organisation which would satisfy everyone but it is possible to create an organisation in which everyone is respected,” says Piotr Masłowski.
Asseco Business Solutions wants to expand beyond European markets and start operating on other continents. Clients don’t want to buy tools only. Instead, they need specific services which help them achieve business advantage. They look for partners who can guarantee a specific result. They don’t care if they achieve their objectives with a recognisable brand, software or hardware. “Some international clients think that we should provide cheaper services, due to the fact that we are from Poland. We don’t compete by price; on contrary, we win thanks to quality as well as business and technological innovation of our systems. Should we sell our applications cheaper than competitive companies from abroad just because we are from Poland?” wonders Piotr Masłowski.
What kind of employees does Asseco Business Solutions seek? – “I’m sure it looks for ambitious people because they like to learn. It’s not a problem when we employ someone who doesn’t know much. The problem is when we employ somebody who doesn’t have a potential to learn. Some students try to join smaller or larger organisations already during their studies. They know that their value depends on what they can do,” admits Piotr Masłowski. “Judging by the experience gained by Asseco BS, we can confirm that a new generation, different in terms of values, expectations, and needs enters the labour market every several years. In order to entice these people with a job offer, you have to understand their mind-set and know the communication methods they use. Our HR specialists are aware of that. We are therefore sure that our recruitment system is really effective,” says Masłowski.
