Mergers And Acquisitions

Regardless of whether your organization’s focus after a merger or acquisition is on combining cultures, adopting the culture of one company, or creating a totally new culture, leaders must take accountability for shaping a culture that will bring success, both long and short term. Sadly, many leaders fail to do so. As a result, most mergers and acquisitions never deliver the intended synergies and benefits. Here’s an example of how taking greater accountability for culture integration after a merger or acquisition can make a big difference.

During the aftermath of a major pharmaceutical merger, the post deal environment was a breeding ground for Below The Line behavior. These are some of the questions that abounded: “Why wasn’t this considered during due diligence?” “Who dropped the ball on this issue?” “How long has this been going on?” and “Why doesn’t my manager know about this?” Having already implemented Accountability Training, the merging companies determined that only an Above The Line approach would help everyone take accountability for the intensified communication necessary to drive culture integration.

Whenever people faced merger issues, they were urged to ask: “What else can I do about it?” and “Who else can I contact or involve to obtain the information and integration we need?” By expecting each and every employee who encountered a merger issue to “Own It,” leaders and managers created an organization full of people working to solve problems, rather than complaining about them. The increased “Solve It” dialogue led both companies to adopt Best Practices from each other, resulting in an enhanced combination of Best Practices and competitive advantages. Instead of succumbing to the typical post-merger complaints and confusion, employees from these two companies took personal accountability for the fundamentals of culture integration. The results turned out to be huge cost savings, reduced turnover, improved sales performance, and increased shareholder value.

To learn more about accelerating and enhancing culture integration after a merger or acquisition by establishing a Culture Of Accountability, we invite you to join the Accountability Community by visiting www.partnersinleadership.com where you can review actual client case studies.

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