Cultural Alignment Planning Drives M&A Success
A strong people strategy and robust change management and communication approach will drive better cultural alignment during M&A deals — ultimately increasing the chance for success.
Key Takeaways
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Companies succeed in M&A when they thoroughly understand their unique strengths and weaknesses.
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Cultural alignment must also include a people strategy that assesses current workforce skills and existing gaps to drive future skills planning.
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Developing and implementing a change management strategy and communication plan supports the engagement of leaders as they champion the desired culture.
Company culture is characterized by the values and practices of a business and its employees. Culture is powerful and unifying; a company can better attract and retain talent when its people feel aligned to the mission, purpose and business strategy of the organization.
However, businesses involved in mergers, acquisitions (M&A) and divestitures are often unprepared to align and combine company cultures. That's because culture is perceived as a less urgent or not as important an exercise, with organizations prioritizing areas like financial due diligence or key leadership retention strategies. But the absence of cultural alignment can lead to failed M&A deals if dealmaking parties cannot unify opposing organizational views on culture.
“By thoroughly understanding your company’s culture, a business leader can authentically share their insights and perspectives when representing their company in an M&A deal,” says Piotr Bednarczuk, a leader in Aon’s Talent Solutions practice who focuses on M&A integration.
There are culture-specific diagnostic tools, such as Aon’s culture analysis survey, that can help identify a company’s strengths and gaps in their people strategy. “Diagnostic tools can inform organizations on a couple important fronts,” says Bednarczuk. “These tools can assess how well leaders and employees align with the culture of the future organization; they can also tell how well current HR programs align with future culture.”
Three Areas that Drive Cultural Alignment
There are three main areas that drive cultural alignment during M&A, while also enhancing the future competitiveness and performance of the combined company. For each, there are several markers to evaluate how well an organization is doing.
1. Direction – What do we aim for in the deal and is there a clear direction for employees and managers? Markers to evaluate this include:
- Work identity (e.g., Do employees feel a sense of purpose with their work?)
- Work/life balance (e.g., Do managers encourage and enable employees to take time off?)
- Professional challenges (e.g., Are personal and professional development opportunities readily available?)