Transformation through M&A Integration

If change is uncomfortable, transformational change is even more so. The most powerful factor in a successful integration is how you begin.

A major acquisition is not only an opportunity to achieve synergies, but also a valuable “moment in time” to bring about true change. The best leaders get these transformational decisions right.

Integration as a Catalyst for Transformation

Delivering transformational change is not easy. People and organizations do not like change so making the leap often requires a shock to the system. That’s where mergers can help.

Mergers create both excitement and anxiety for stakeholders, generating not only destabilizing uncertainty, but also malleability, which encourages openness to new ways of working. Many mergers actually destroy value; executive teams that see a merger as an opportunity to reset their business can defy the odds and create incremental value.

The most powerful factor in a successful integration is the way in which you begin. Before the combined organization gets locked into new patterns of internal and external interactions, forward-thinking CEOs have a clear vision of what qualifies as differentiated transformation and use the merger as the catalyst for achieving that vision. Without the vision, transformation is much harder, or even impossible, to accomplish.