Key Considerations for a Successful Post-Merger Integration

Post-merger integration is among the important crucial steps in the M&A life-cycle for a fruitful acquisition. Although valuing the deal prudently and not paying too much for revenue collaborations can help avoid integration failure, there are other essential components that must be managed properly in order to increase the chances of success or else risk eroding the value.

Project Planning and Readiness:

The most important factor in guaranteeing the integration project’s success is proper project planning and making sure everything is ready. Developing a strategy for acquisition is essential; it is essential to understand why your company is buying the target company and to recognize which aspects of the target are the most desirable (for example, real estate, the business model, technology, competitors, R&D initiatives) so that the plan for integration can be created.

Making sure all necessary procedures and plans are in place to successfully incorporate the target company into the acquiring company must be the top priority at the start of an M&A deal. Doing this can build a bridge between integration and due diligence, and help to protect the value of the deal. Unfortunately, planning is not usually seen as an activity that adds value, and project teams tend to rush into the more visible parts of project execution.

Project planning and readiness requires evaluating the intricacy of the planned integration in relation to the acquiring organization's objectives/strategy, confirming that enough personnel are available to complete the integration project, and verifying that the time frames are realistic.

Culture:

Culture in a corporate setting can be seen as the beliefs, shared values, and assumptions which shape behavior and attitude, and give meaning to the organization. As culture is contained and changes slowly, it is tough for merged organizations to keep the cultures of the previous companies. Mergers and acquisitions generally involve shifts in practices, management procedures, and strategies, which can be unsettling for people in the organization. A sudden change in culture can cause a lot of disruption and distress, and thus, culture miss can be one of the main reasons why a deal fails.

Instead of viewing culture as an element of employee norms, rites, or satisfaction, an acquirer must recognize that a Merger & Acquisition can be used to transform the culture of an entire organization. This shift should be made without expecting the target company to conform to a pre-determined, possibly inappropriate, culture.

It is important to identify cultural influences as much as possible, as they can have a major impact. People-related issues are not always easy to resolve and should be brought to the attention of the integration team once they have been identified. This will enable them to begin the process, or alert them to any potential cultural obstacles. To learn more about how to manage culture in merger and acquisition situations, please refer to the link provided.

Centralize Fragmented Data:

At the end of an M&A due diligence process, there is often a lot of disparate data that needs to be organized. It is essential that the due diligence and integration teams take the time to carefully transfer this data to the integration team. Doing so will save the integration team from spending a lot of time trying to make sense of the documents and their relevance. Additionally, a thorough handover can decrease confusion and cut down on administrative tasks. To get the most out of this process, it is recommended to use a single repository for data.

By having a single, centralized source of data that the due diligence team can store all their supporting documents, findings, and important metrics in, the integration team will be able to start their work right away and make sure any deal value doesn't get lost due to delays. This should help them work quickly and efficiently, preserving the value of the deal.

Many organizations are turning to digitalized solutions to streamline data centralization and collaboration across workstreams. This approach allows them to run various projects concurrently, track documents and assign them to particular tasks, communicate efficiently, and monitor issues from one central platform.

Project Timelines and Expectations:

Incorporating timeline expectations into the mix of integration success factors is essential. Time is a key factor in the decrease of value; the quicker the integration process, the less value is lost. As a project manager, managing time, workload, tasks, and team members in a way that maximizes efficiency and effectiveness is necessary for a successful integration.

In order to ensure successful project timelines, all teams must be in agreement. It can be hard for many integration leads to secure a spot at the "decision table," but integration teams must stand firm if anything appears to be unreasonable or impossible to accomplish in the allotted time. If the integration team knows something cannot be done within a certain time frame, they must communicate this during the integration planning stage, not when the integration process is underway or deadlines are being missed.

Define Leadership:

At the outset of an organization's M&A campaign, it is essential to have a leadership team with distinct roles and responsibilities established. If these roles and responsibilities are not defined, it can lead to confusion and failure to meet project requirements. Having a clearly defined leadership structure will enable the organization to achieve the desired outcome from the acquisition and ensure that project planning and implementation remains structured and on schedule.

Leaders must be directly involved in day-to-day operations in order to stay informed about which personnel should be retained, the overall workplace culture, and any issues employees may have. This open communication will help employees feel comfortable and secure, which can lead to improved talent retention and provide the leaders with a better understanding of how the merger or acquisition is playing out from both sides.

Overcome Inter-Departmental Obstacles:

Despite the complexity of integration projects, with multiple workstreams and functional departments operating independently, it is important to have a shared goal in mind. It can be challenging to keep track of the tasks that have been completed across each workstream, especially on larger projects that often involve thousands of line items. To help manage this, it is beneficial to appoint a dedicated individual to facilitate the coordination and completion of tasks. However, this can be a substantial administrative burden.

By utilizing a digitalized approach to task management, an integration team can gain real-time insight into task progress, streamline operations with one-click reporting, and capture value and synergies more quickly. Furthermore, having a centralized tool to monitor all tasks, the administrative burden is significantly reduced, freeing up workstreams to focus on the essential elements of integration.

Prioritizing, Planning and Execution:

When preparing for integration, it is essential to prioritize plan for execution and value drivers. The prioritization that can be aided by a template for post-merger integration plan is critical as it won’t be feasible to achieve all of the synergies that are identified initially. There just will be countless competing priorities and inadequate resources accessible to focus on all areas.

Priority should be given to value drivers that have the potential to provide the greatest return to shareholders. These are typically the initiatives that are: (1) most consistent with the strategic reasons for the acquisition; (2) have the highest chance of success, given limited resources and time; and (3) can be tracked and monitored with precision.

If those with leadership positions prioritize correctly, it will be easier for those at the coal-face to know which tasks to complete first. Without proper guidance, tasks may be completed out of order, which could lead to a decrease in value during an integration.

By clearly outlining priorities and the importance of every job, activity, and deliverable, workstreams will have an easier time completing their work, evaluating risks, notifying leadership of any issues, and managing expectations.

Analyze Factors that Drive Value:

Value drivers are a major part of the reasoning behind going through with an acquisition. For example, a revenue-generating value driver might be to offer the target's products or services to the acquiring organization's existing customers in a certain business area or area. A cost-saving value driver could be combining two offices in the same location or using the new organization's greater purchasing power to get better terms on a supplier contract. The key here is that the value drivers must be specific enough to validate the business case and produce tangible, measurable results.

It is essential to carefully oversee and cultivate any value drivers that arise from initial due diligence or the first phases of integration. Workstreams should not forget why they are acquiring a target and what makes it unique; failure to do so can result in a loss of value.

Communication:

Communication problems are frequently mentioned as one of the main causes of unsuccessful M&A transactions. Communication can break down if the target receives too many queries during the due diligence procedure, or, if personnel are not informed about the motives behind a deal.

Employees and management often feel anxious and confused when faced with a Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) situation. Poor communication can lead to uncertainty and a lack of trust, which can have a negative impact on employee engagement. To ensure employees stay informed of the progress of the PMI process, communication should be carried out through a variety of mediums such as emails, the company intranet, and briefings. Moreover, management should be aware of the questions, worries, and fears employees may have.

It is essential that integration workstreams maintain open lines of communication, and monitor project progress on a continuous basis. Any issues that arise during tasks should be reported to the appropriate personnel in a timely manner. This will prevent any delays and allow the integration project to reach its full potential.

Communication issues can be highly detrimental to an organization, as outlined in Overcome Inter-Departmental Obstacles. When communication is lacking, it can cause processes and progress to suffer. Investing in M&A software considering it as one of the steps of digitalized approach for handling these issues can offer relief from the difficulties of communication breakdown and provide insight into the progress of different workstreams.

Final Words:

By following various steps, an organization can make a more smooth and effective integration project experience. When the integration team and due diligence team overlap, communication is improved, engagement and collaboration are fostered, and silo challenges are more easily overcome. Additionally, tools that streamline the integration process, prevent value erosion, give the leadership team visibility, and promote healthier communication among the process lead to quick synergy realization and a higher chance of success.