Even in normal times, managers in the core of any company face significant challenges; they have to communicate up, down, and laterally in order for everyone to be productive. But, in a merger all of those relationships change all at the same time.
While every part of an M&A integration is fraught with seemingly unique perils, they all bottleneck at the manager level. This where either the rubber meets the road or the wheels come off the car. If the pace and nature of change overwhelms the managers who are responsible for the integration, your M&A will fail.
But there are things you can do to help managers be more effective in times of great change.
Shift Mindsets to Shift Gears
How can you prepare people to face intense and unexpected challenges that might come from any direction?
- Help them understand their own thinking and the biases it comes with.
- Help them communicate effectively with those who think differently
- Give them a framework and common language to engage with people they don’t know.
All of these things are about self-awareness, patience, and approaching challenges with the right perspective. This isn’t fluffy, nebulous stuff, it’s actionable, repeatable and provides the best insurance we know against the difficulties that come with any M&A integration.
Over the last 30 years, we’ve helped hundreds of organizations through the challenges that come with rapid change, mergers, acquisitions and reorgs. Our system might be right for your organization, but there’s only one way to find out.
Speak with a Herrmann Expert about Managing Change Through M&A
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