Implementation
Turning the strategy into a plan of action and executing it
Selecting a business and deciding what you want to do with it are essential, but do not deliver the vision. The vision sets out what needs to be done by the Integration Team. However, nothing is achieved until a plan of action is created and implemented.
Integrations are not easy. They can be simplified in a few words to describe what you want the outcomes to be. However, the realities of dealing with vibrant, active, busy businesses requires a special skill set.
Consider the disruption that an integration will do to the employees, while they try to sustain business as usual:
If a department in your business is re-organized, it would be disruptive
If every department in your business is re-organized, it would be difficult to keep the business on track
If every department in two business is re-organized (the acquiring and the acquired business)
- This is what happens when you integrate an acquired business
What’s involved in an acquisition integration set up?
We have the experience to navigate the complexities of post-acquisition integration
Cross-Functional Dependencies
Bringing together two businesses is a collection of numerous separate projects, many of which are dependent upon others.
Each team or department has a list of action items with varying priorities, and many have cross functional dependencies. It can get complex, quickly
Our approach includes:
Creating the Plan
We develop the high level plan from your strategy, working with the managers who will carry out the tasks that bring the systems, processes, people and cultures of the businesses together. The end product is a custom program of projects:
We address:
- Onboarding and staff retention preparation
- Task list development
- Day One preparation
- Status meeting structure, tools
- Reporting hierarchy
Sustaining the Businesses while Integrating them
Successfully delivering an integration requires:
- Delivering the value of the acquisition, as planned by the Deal Team
- Communicating with credibility and candidness, to gain trust
- Respect and protection of the acquired business' culture
- Effective, pragmatic prioritization of tasks
- Accommodation of unexpected issues and hurdles, when they are discovered
- Efficient status meetings
- Reporting clarity for leadership
Integration Delivery
The Earlier You Begin, the More Likelihood of Success
Every acquisition integration is unique, with each one requiring understanding and consideration before you can begin planning. Integrations do not start when the deal is completed: you need to be well-prepared to announce what you will do, when and how, to an audience that scrutinizes every word that is said.
The best acquirers are ready to announce and create trust with their audiences. This requires time and hard work. The earlier you begin integration, the better the odds of success.
Typical engagements include subscriptions to our Certified Acquisition Integration Manager program for your team members