Growth Means Embracing Change Beyond Familiar Limits

Over the past fifteen years, NTQ has faced many of the challenges common to growing technology companies: resource constraints, changing market conditions, organizational complexity, and the constant pressure to adapt in an industry defined by rapid change.

Looking back on that journey, Mr. Pham Thai Son, Chairman and one of NTQ’s founding members, believes that sustainable growth is rarely determined by ambition alone. More often, it depends on an organization’s ability to recognize when the assumptions, capabilities, and operating models that once supported its success have begun to reach their limits.

For many companies, the most difficult challenge is not overcoming external obstacles. It is recognizing the internal barriers that gradually emerge as organizations grow: Whether in the form of outdated ways of working, increasing organizational complexity, or an overreliance on approaches that were effective in the past but may no longer fit the future.

Reflecting on NTQ’s development over the past fifteen years, Mr. Son sees growth not as a linear progression, but as a continuous process of identifying constraints, adapting to new realities, and preparing the organization for the next stage of development.

Breaking Limits To Find The Growth Pathways

When NTQ was founded in 2011, Vietnam’s technology industry was still at an early stage of development. The ecosystem was smaller, opportunities were more limited, and many technology companies faced similar challenges around resources, market access, and international experience.

According to statistics published in Vietnam’s 2011 White Paper on Information and Communication Technology, there were only around 1,000 companies providing IT services nationwide, while average labor productivity in the technology sector stood at approximately USD 14,800 per employee per year. More than a decade later, the industry has expanded significantly, with over 75,000 technology enterprises operating across the country and workforce productivity increasing multiple times compared to the early years.

NTQ’s founders faced many of the same limitations experienced by other young technology companies at the time. The challenge was not unique. The question was how quickly those limitations could be transformed into capabilities that would support future growth.

“When NTQ was founded, we did not have many advantages. Most of the founding members came from technical backgrounds, with little experience in business management or international market development. However, because we all started from almost zero, we shared the same mindset: continuously learning as we go, fully committing to every project and every opportunity to engage with new customers.

One realization that significantly influenced us was seeing many technology companies of a similar generation working directly with international clients despite having only a few dozen employees. That taught us that company size was not the biggest barrier. If other Vietnamese companies could do it, NTQ could do it as well.”

Every Stage Requires a Different Formula

As organizations evolve, the challenges they face also change. The priorities of a startup are fundamentally different from those of a company with hundreds of employees. Likewise, the operating models that support growth at one stage may become constraints at the next.

“Each stage of NTQ’s growth required a different approach. When we were a small company, our focus was on identifying opportunities, building capabilities, and creating a foundation for future expansion. As we grew, the challenge shifted toward building stronger organizational structures, clearer operating models, and more specialized service capabilities.

This shift led NTQ to move beyond the traditional software outsourcing model. Recognizing the limitations of conventional service delivery, the company introduced its “Labo as a Service” approach, developing specialized models such as S-Lab, Op-Lab, Co-Lab, and PoC-Lab to address specific customer requirements. The strategy helped customers improve operational efficiency while enabling NTQ to accelerate its own growth.

Today, having surpassed 1,500 employees, NTQ is continuing to find ways to grow and break the potential limitations that prevent the organization’s engine from moving further 

“At the current state, NTQ is definitely not a small technology company, but aiming towards becoming a holding. This requires stronger governance capabilities, diversified growth engines, and a broader position within the global value chain. Rather than remaining solely a provider of solutions and outsourcing services, NTQ is evolving toward becoming a Platform-Driven Partner built upon core technologies, deep industry expertise, and global delivery experience.

Our priorities now include expanding M&A activities, strengthening our innovation ecosystem, and establishing Joint Development Centers with strategic partners. Many of whom are already our customers. For us, growth is not simply about becoming bigger. It is about continuously increasing the value we create for customers, partners, and the market.”

Aside from setting new growth milestones, NTQ’s Chairman also mentioned the internal constraints that potentially prevent the organization from moving further. Some constraints are visible, such as operational pressure, delivery quality, or workforce expansion. Others are far more dangerous because they emerge quietly—complacency, outdated thinking, or continued reliance on approaches that were successful in the past but no longer fit the present.

Managing Change in a Growing Organization

One of the recurring challenges in any growing organization is balancing alignment with agility. When companies remain small, decision-making is often straightforward. As organizations grow larger, different perspectives naturally emerge, making change more complex.

According to Mr. Son, the objective is not to eliminate differing viewpoints, but to create an environment where constructive discussion can take place before important decisions are made.

“As organizations grow, aligning around a new direction naturally becomes more complex. When a company has only a few dozen employees, reaching consensus is relatively straightforward. But as the organization expands to hundreds or even thousands of people, diverse perspectives are both inevitable and valuable.

That is why, before any major transition, we strive to create opportunities for dialogue early in the process. We regularly hold strategic discussions with leaders across business units and functions to challenge assumptions, exchange viewpoints, and refine key decisions. These conversations are then extended through internal communication channels, ensuring employees have sufficient context to understand the rationale, objectives, and broader implications of change. Most importantly, this is never intended to be a one-way communication process. We actively encourage feedback and contributions to strengthen decisions before implementation.

That said, complete consensus is not always possible. There are times when organizations must move decisively to seize opportunities or avoid stagnation. In those moments, leaders need to balance openness to diverse viewpoints with the courage to make decisions that serve the organization’s long-term interests. At the same time, decisiveness should never be confused with rigidity. At NTQ, we closely monitor execution and remain willing to adjust our approach when experience shows there is a better way forward. Ultimately, the purpose of change is not to defend a decision that has already been made, but to find the best path for the organization to continue growing and moving beyond its existing limits.”

Sustainable Growth Requires Continuity

Beyond technology and market challenges, Mr. Son believes that one of the most important foundations for long-term growth is an organization’s ability to create continuity across generations. As companies expand, success can no longer depend on a handful of individuals. Instead, they must build systems capable of continuously developing people, creating opportunities, and nurturing future leaders.

“An organization that stops welcoming new people, new ideas, and new ways of working will eventually become stagnant. At NTQ, we do not see change as something that threatens our identity. We see it as essential for maintaining vitality and long-term growth.

The goal is not to preserve everything exactly as it was 10 or 15 years ago. The goal is to ensure that core values such as resilience, ambition, accountability, and a growth mindset continue to be passed on across generations. Every new generation brings different perspectives, energy, and ideas. If an organization creates opportunities for them to grow while preserving its foundational values, continuity becomes a way to help the company evolve into a better version of itself.”

This philosophy is reflected in NTQ’s long-term talent development initiatives, leadership programs, and succession planning efforts. One notable example is the “Queen Bee” Key Leaders Program, designed to strengthen leadership pipelines and ensure organizational continuity for future stages of growth.

“When I look at the more than 1,500 people who are part of NTQ today, what gives me confidence is not simply the company’s scale, but the increasing maturity of our people. Many young employees who joined recently have already taken on important responsibilities and delivered meaningful value to the organization.

I believe the combination of experienced employees and younger generations will become one of NTQ’s greatest strengths in the years ahead. Together, they will not only preserve the values that have shaped NTQ, but also make those values even stronger in the future.”

Growth Has Become Part of NTQ’s DNA

After 15 years of development, NTQ has achieved many important milestones. Yet for its leadership team, the true measure of success is not how far the company has come, but whether it continues moving forward with the same spirit of growth and reinvention.

Over time, growth has become deeply embedded in NTQ’s DNA: Not merely as business expansion, but as a commitment to raising standards, pursuing larger ambitions, and building a company capable of sustaining long-term success.

“What stands out after more than 15 years is that growth at NTQ is no longer just a slogan or a business target. It has become part of how the organization thinks and operates every day. In the early years, growth meant acquiring customers, expanding teams, and overcoming initial challenges. Today, growth carries a much broader meaning.

It means constantly asking whether our current ways of working are truly optimal, whether our capabilities are sufficient for larger opportunities, and what changes we need to make to remain competitive. You can see this mindset across the organization—from teams continuously raising delivery standards and expanding expertise in emerging technologies, to young employees proactively developing new skills, language capabilities, and leadership competencies.

It is also reflected in internal hackathons, innovation initiatives, and new service models proposed by our people themselves. What encourages me most is that despite growing to more than 1,500 employees, NTQ has never developed a mindset of being satisfied with the status quo.

People still strive to do better, pursue bigger goals, and embrace change to meet new market demands. Perhaps that is why the DNA of growth has become such a natural part of NTQ’s culture and spirit over the years.”