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Merger Miseries 8 Scrambled Cultures

Guest post by: Robert Whipple

Article Overview: Blending organizational cultures after a merger or acquisition is often the most difficult part of the process. Many organizations fail because they did not anticipate the challenge of this step and institute processes that would have helped the integration. This article describes 12 ways to help make the process work better.

Merger Miseries 8 Scrambled Cultures

This is the eighth in a series of articles on the trials and tribulations of mergers and acquisitions. This episode concerns the blending of different cultures into a homogeneous new culture. Regardless of the size and scope of an M&A, or even an internal restructuring, there needs to be a successful merger of two distinct cultures to realize the benefits.

Managers often assume this will happen naturally over time, so they give this aspect little attention when planning the merger. WRONG! Achieving a stable culture where people are at least supportive if not enthusiastically driving a singular mindset is the most significant challenge for most change efforts. Do not assume things will work out; instead, take a highly proactive approach to defining a new culture.

In every case, even when the action is described as a merger of equals, one group will feel they have been "taken over" by the other. Curiously, in many instances, both groups feel they have been taken over because employees in each former group will need to modify procedures to accomplish the union. Usually, one of the parties is assumed to be in the driver's seat, so it is the other party that needs to endure the bulk of changing systems.

Lack of trust and genuine animosity lead to resistance when it comes to blending the two groups into one. It is common to have the conflict occur as passive resistive behavior. People will have the appearance of agreeing, but subversively undermine the other group however possible. This kind of "we - they" thinking can go on for years if allowed. So what actions can management take to mitigate the schism and promote unity? Here are a dozen ideas that can help.

1. Start early - Do not let the inevitable seeds of doubt and suspicion grow in the dark. Work quickly after the merger is announced to have teambuilding activities. Openly promote good team spirit and put some money into developing a mutually supportive culture. Good teamwork is not rocket science, but it does not occur naturally. There must be investments to accomplish unity.

2. Have zero tolerance for silo thinking - This is hard to accomplish because human beings will polarize if given the opportunity. Set the expectation that people will at least try at all times to get along. Monitor the wording in notes and conversations carefully and call people out when they put down the other group. This monitoring needs to include body language. Often rolling eyes or other expressions give away underlying mistrust.



3. Blend the populations as much as possible - Transplant key individuals from Group A with counterparts from Group B. If this is done with care, it will not take long for the individual cultures to be hard to tell apart. Sometimes the transplanting process is unpopular, but it is an important part of the integration process.

4. Use the Strategic Process - It is important to have a common set of goals and a common vision. If the former groups have goals that are not perfectly aligned, then behaviors are going to support parochial thinking. When conflicts arise, check to see if the goals are really common or if there is just lip service on this point.

5. Reward good teamwork - Seek out examples of selfless behavior from one group toward the other and promote these as bellwether activities. Verbal and written reinforcement from the top will help a lot. You might consider some kind of token award for outstanding integration behavior.

6. Model integrated behavior at the top - Often we see animosity and lack of trust at the highest levels, so it is only natural for the lower echelon to be bickering. People have the ability to pick up on the tiny clues in wording and body language. The leaders need to walk the talk on mutual respect.

7. Co-locate groups where possible - Remote geography always tends to build polarization in any organization. If merged groups can be at least partially located under one roof, it will help to reduce suspicion by lack of contact. If cohabitation is cost prohibitive, it is helpful to have frequent joint meetings, especially at the start of the integration process.

8. Benchmark other organizations - Select one or two companies who have done a great job of blending cultures and send a fact finding team made up of representatives from each group to identify best practices. This team can be the nucleus of cooperation attitudes that can allow unity to spread through the entire population.

9. Make celebrations include both groups - Avoid letting one group celebrate milestones along the way while the other group is struggling. Make sure the celebrations are for progress toward the ultimate culture instead of sub-unit performance.

10. Align measures with joint behavior - Make sure the measures are not contributing to silo thinking. If the goals are aligned for joint performance, have the measures reinforce behaviors toward those goals. Often, well intentioned measures actually drive activity that is directly opposite to the intended result. One way to test for this potential is to ask, "what if someone pushes this measure to the extreme - will that still produce the result we want"?

11. Weed out people who cannot adjust - A certain percentage of the population in either group are going to find it difficult to get over the grieving process. Identify these individuals and help them find roles in some other organization. It will help both the merger process and the individual. On the flip side, identify the champions of integration early and reward them with more exposure and more span of control.

12. Create incentives for the desired behavior - People should be encouraged in every way to act and think in an integrated way. This can be encouraged by having the incentive plans pay out only if both units perform seamlessly.

The road to a fully functioning integrated culture can be long and frustrating. By following the ideas given above, an organization can hasten the day when there are few vestiges of the old cultures, and people feel a sense of belonging to a single new order.

Related Articles
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  Merger Miseries Two - Zombies in the Office
  The Role of HR in Mergers
  Talent, Communication, and the BP Oil Spill
  Who Wants to Be an Emperor?
  Greetings from Around the World
  Are you Hard, Scrambled or Soft?
  M&A Courses - What's Missing
  Top Tips For A Company Acquiring Another
  SMEs - a challenge for African countries
  SMEs - types of opportunities
  Merger Miseries Three - Clone Yourself
  Impact of Culture on Mergers and Acquisitions
  Who is On The Bus After a Merger
  SMALL BUSINESS FINANCING OPPORTUNITY
  Should I Consider or Accept a Merger Offer ?
  Merger Failures, Value Destruction and Cultural Conflicts - and How to Avoid Them!
  Merger Downsizing
  Consolidate or merge a checklist
  Communicating Effectively

Article Tags: acquisition, benchmarking, Blended, celebrations, co locate, culture, incentives, integration, measures, Merger, silo thinking, strategy, teamwork



Related Forum Posts
Definitions of merger - Mergers can be characterized according to three categories: horizontal mergers, which take place between firms that are actual or potential competitors occupying similar positions in the chain of production; vertical mergers, which take place between firms at different levels in the chain of production (such as between manufacturers and retailers); and other mergers, such as those which take place between unrelated businesses or conglomerates with different types of businesses. Aberdeen Lyle Merger Analysis Large mergers, acquisitions and some other corporate combinations require prior review and approval in some jurisdictions. As part of their review, competition authorities may prohibit mergers or approve them subject to conditions. Mergers are usually only prohibited or subjected to conditions if the authority concludes that the merger will substantially harm competition. Given the discretion inherent in the interpretation of this threshold, various competition authorities have published merger guidelines. These are intended to assist firms and their advisers to anticipate the procedures and criteria, which will be applied in assessing a merger. Some Merger Concerns Merger reviews typically focus on horizontal mergers since, by definition, they reduce the number of competitors in the relevant markets. Also of concern are mergers between firms, which are active in a particular market with another firm, which is a potential competitor.
Re: Are franchises with unhealthy foods still wise investments? - [quote="JBunion":1fbkw07r]I think I can add some simmer to the fire by saying that people will ALWAYS choose convenience over healthy options. If you have to drive a few miles out of your way to get food that will cost you typically more than your next door fast food place - you will most likely choose the fast food. This isn't coincidence. Much of the site survey research conducted by researched and consultants is done using georeferencing data. They will essentially draw buffer zones around nearby competitors and franchises and then plan where to put their next one simply for convenience. At the end of the day, a healthy option will involve more fighting and fidgeting with your product to make it enticing enough for people other than health nuts to purchase.[/quote:1fbkw07r] Hi JBunion, I'm in full agreement with you as "healthy" franchises like Cultures typically overcharge for simply items like tuna sandwiches. If given the choice between a costly tuna sandwich (that doesn't cost anything to make) vs a cheaper grease burger with fries... it's easy to see why the unhealthy alternative typically wins.
Re: Are franchises with unhealthy foods still wise investments? - [quote="jpower":3t5hgcgk]Thanks for the welcome, Kevin. There are plenty of food franchises that sell menu items based on what seems to be the four basic food groups: sugar, salt, caffeine, and fat. And when I see one of those ads for a triple or quadruple burgers I cringe. But, if you open a restaurant featuring sprouts and vegetarian oriented fare, you had better have the right combination and be in the right place, because while the market seems to be moving in that direction, I don't think that it is there yet. When people begin eating in a healthy manner the restaurants will have to modify their menus to reflect consumer wants. The burger crowd is trying that with salads and fruit cups, so it is happening to a degree now. The franchise restaurant buyer is likely to buy what he thinks will be profitable for him now, and expect that the franchisor will take the lead and provide the system with answers to trends as they develop.[/quote:3t5hgcgk] Hi jpower, I'd agree that the market probably isn't ready for a full transition into "healthy eating" since places like Pinkberry are still serving up "sugar". Frozen Yoghurt really isn't as healthy as many people believe. However, I think that niche franchises (who cater to the health conscious crowd) will still do better than ones like McDonald's who try to modify their menus to cater to everyone's needs. For instance, I dislike McDonald's use of vegetable oil to cook their fries because they don't taste as good as when they were fried in animal fat (in the past). Sure animal fat is unhealthy, but the whole purpose of choosing McDonald's over a healthy chain like Cultures is that when I (or others) want junk food, we want good tasting junk food... not some "make believe" healthy variant.


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