Ola Soderquist
We got lots of value from the CAIM, and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to know how to integrate acquisitions.
Delivering the Value of Your M&A Deals
The Certified Acquisition Integration Managers (CAIM™) designation shows readiness to successfully integrate acquired businesses
Your People. Our Expertise
Classes start May 15 2023!
Solve the poor operational performance of your acquired businesses
It is said that 70% of acquisitions fail. This is not completely accurate; it is the integration of the two businesses that often fails. Delivering what was envisioned when the deal was put together is difficult and prone to failure.
Businesses that do not successfully integrate acquisitions waste the opportunity of value creation. With every subsequent acquisition, the pain of not integrating becomes greater, as the burden of multiple processes, tools and operational methods prevents growth.
Lower-mid and mid-size businesses are often torn: they know they need external expertise, but want to retain the skills within their teams.
Businesses need to develop in-house teams that can integrate current and future acquired businesses.
Intista has training and certification solutions to address these and other problems associated with acquisition integrations. Learn more below.
Certified Acquisition Integration Manager (CAIM)
- Online training takes you through the entire integration process, from the reasons for acquiring to the execution and delivery of integration projects
- Certification testing that ensures understanding and reinforces learning
- Student meet weekly for 5 weeks, giving you the opportunity to ask the experts anything related to acquisition integrations
- Twice-monthly Integration Mastermind sessions, where you get the opportunity to ask the experts anything related to acquisition integrations
Upon signing up, your affiliation with the AMAA is verified to be either:
- A current member of the AMAA
- The client of a current member
Get Recognized as an Expert
Demonstrate that you have the knowledge to be an acquisition integration manager
- Manager and colleagues' recognition of your certification
- Increase your value to your employer by gaining the knowledge and skills of acquisition integration
- Helps build your case for workplace compensation or promotion
Career Development
Transferable skills for your next career move
- Transfer your competence to future career prospects
- Helps you stand out from other applicants to future hiring managers
Digital Badges
Certified Acquisition Integration Manager (CAIM) badges are Open Badges compliant
- Digitally verifiable
- Can be shared on social media and with your community
Renewable Certification
Intista certifications have a two-year lifespan
- Recertification demonstrates your experience and understanding of acquisition integrations
- Find out more about the recertification, here
What’s included in the CAIM™ program?
Training contains 9 lessons of self-paced on demand content, compatible with all mobile devices
Integration Mastermind is available to all current subscribers
View all topics in detail
Lesson 1: Getting off the Ground
We disclose important considerations before acquiring, discuss 6 myths about integrations, and differentiate between the priorities of the acquisition team and the integration team.
Lesson 2: Different Ways to Integrate
We look at four broad-category approaches to integrating an acquired small or mid-size business, along with the “Keep Separate” strategy (an approach where no integration takes place).
Lesson 3: The Integration Organization
We explore the teams that plan, manage and deliver the integration. We explain how this temporary organization is structured, within this hierarchy of teams. We describe the roles of the teams, the roles of members, and the qualifications/qualities of the ideal candidates for each role.
Lesson 4: Integration Objectives
Integration Objectives are the initiatives that define the emphasis, or focus areas, for the journey ahead. We learn how to identify those objectives, starting with the reasons for acquiring, formulating the Mission Statement for the journey ahead, and deriving two types of objectives: “Workstream” and “Company-Wide” objectives.
Lesson 5: Staff Retention after an Acquisition
We discuss the Cost of Losing Staff, and introduce the Staff Retention Toolbox. We suggest non-financial and financial incentives for retaining staff.
Lesson 6: Onboarding Acquired Staff
We discuss and review the Onboarding Team and explain how to onboard acquired staff. We outline how to plan a successful program and provide tips for its success.
Lesson 7: Preparing for Day 1
We proposed how to prepare for the acquisition announcement, known as "Day 1" by formulating a checklist of priorities to be addressed. We discuss the logistics of the announcement, and strategic topics to answer the questions that arise at kick-off and continue to come up.
Lesson 8: Communication During Integrations
We explain how communication is critical to the success of an integration. We show you how to identify and communicate with each of your audiences, and how to message to them.
Topics include how to prepare for the "Day 1" announcement, as well as how communication changes and must be sustained through challenging times.
Lesson 9: Creating Acquisition Integration Projects
We discuss how to create and run the hierarchy of projects that will merge together the operations, processes, and technologies of the businesses.
We explain how to combine the reasons for acquiring with Intista's templates, to create projects used to integrate the businesses together.
Integration Mastermind Sessions
Meet online twice per month with integration experts and ask them any questions you may have.
Get the answers you need for your integration from our experts at Intista's Integration Mastermind sessions
Build, Don't Buy, your Whole Integration Team
You will need a team to integrate your current and future integrations so that everyone has:
- A common understanding of integration approaches
- A common terminology
- Organizational understanding of the hierarchy and duties of everyone involved
- Ways to learn how to integrate, hands-on and in real-time
- After completing the course, students have access to our Integration Mastermind meetings, to exchange best practices and discuss integration related topics
AMAA members receive a 20% initial discount. Get a bigger discount with multiple purchases
1 to 2 subscribers
Acquisition Integration Manager(s) leading small integrations
Discount
20%
Per Person
$1,995 first year
$250 renewals,
including recertifications
3 to 7 subscribers
Integration Management Office (IMO) team
Discount
28%
Per Person
$1,795 first year
$250 renewals,
including recertifications
8 to 19 subscribers
Steering Committee, Integration Management Office (IMO), Onboarding, Communication teams, and the workstream leaders
Discount
36%
Per Person
$1,595 first year
$250 renewals,
including recertifications
20 or more subscribers
All members of the integration: Steering Committee, workstream members, workstream leaders, IMO, Communications, Onboarding, OD, and Change Management
Discount
52%
Per Person
$1,195 first year
$250 renewals,
including recertifications
Spring 2023 class details
The objective of this class is to combine the theory of acquisition integration with discussions on how to apply the learning to real-life situations
The whole course contains 9 lessons
- Students will be asked to study 2 lessons per week, which should take 1 to 2 hours of self-paced learning
- On Friday mornings (and one Monday), students will meet to review and discuss what they have learned in that week's lessons. Discussions will go into details on areas that the students have questions about. Meetings will be held:
- Friday May 26th, 11am EST
- Friday June 2nd, 11am EST
- Friday June 9th, 11am EST
- Monday June 19th, 11am EST
- Friday June 23rd, 11am EST
- After registering, you will receive a calendar invitation to the meetings
5 Reasons why businesses want Certified Integration Managers
1. A successful integration team delivers the value defined by the Deal Team
- Incomplete integrations are missed opportunities to realize the value envisioned by the deal-makers
- Integration of the two businesses, not the purchase, is what delivers value
2. In-house expertise, which is transferred between successive acquisition integrations
- Create an in-house acquisition integration team, using the knowledge of established experts
- Invest in your team, and transfer experiences between successive acquisition integrations
3. Control the cost of getting external integration expertise
- Know the cost of the training and certification, up front
4. Improve the way that you approach and deliver integrations in the future. If you already acquire and integrate, avoid the cost of inefficient methods in:
- Staff retention
- Faster onboarding
- Improved productivity
- Staff engagement
5. Trained employees are happier employees
- Certified employees perform faster, are more engaged, and have better work outcomes*
- Organizations that invest in employee training demonstrate that they have faith in that employee and morale improves
- Improved morale creates more engaged employees, which makes them more productive
Joel McGuire
A groundbreaking certification. This is a really unique course. There are other courses that have a chapter or two on integration, but nothing to this degree.
It's another way to get that competitive edge.
Mike Pijar
The [CAIM] course recognizes the reality of how to do an integration. There are some really good things that I didn't want to miss, so I listened to the slides 2 to 4 times.
$ 1,995 Year 1
$ 250 Renewals
including recertification
Multiple enroLlers
This special pricing is for current members of the Alliance of M&A Advisors (AMAA), or their clients
Required Purchase Order Information
Send completed purchase order to [email protected]
Purchase Order procurement
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
This special class works in a group activity to reinforce the learning and discuss areas in detail. The objective is to understand the practicalities of delivering acquisition integrations.
Students will study 2 lessons per week and meet on a Friday morning to discuss. The 5 meeting will discuss 1 lesson and the Final Exam, which is a scenario-based quiz.
You will be able to show your Certified Acquisition Integration Manager badge using the icons that allow you to share your badge with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, once you have qualified
The value of the Mastermind is learning from other professionals who are (or have) gone through similar processes on their own. Traditionally, skills in the profession were accumulated through experience gained over a series of integrations.
The Integration Mastermind is an online opportunity for experienced integration managers to pass on their knowledge through discussion topics, anecdotes, and lessons that they have learned over the years. Most of the daily work of an acquisition integration manager is very specific to each integration, but the skills and methods are valuable to colleagues.
Each lesson has a quiz that tests you on topics taught within that module. You must pass each quiz to get access to the Final Quiz. The Final Quiz poses realistic scenarios that an Acquisition Integration Manager could be asked to resolve.
To recertify as an Acquisition Integration Manager, you must attend a minimum number of Mastermind sessions. This ensures that you get the opportunity to learn from experienced integration managers as part of your recertification.
See here for the Recertification Process.
