Integrations
Successful integration calls for a keen understanding of human beings and group dynamics.
Managing Change
Integrations require excellent change management skills. This requires good planning, outstanding communication and leadership, a thorough understanding of existing organisational dynamics, and clarity on what needs to be implemented to achieve the desired position. We specialise in strategy, leadership, and culture, all of which play an integral part in achieving successful integration.
As tempting as it can be to want to implement rapid change, the key to smooth integration and a minimum of collateral damage, is putting yourself in the position of the recently acquired company’s employees. There will be a fair degree of anxiety; employees will be looking for clarity on what the future holds and where they fit into it, in order to return them to psychological safety. The skill lies in successfully allaying new employees’ fears, whilst achieving legitimate buy in to the new way of doing things. Our extensive experience of independent and corporate integrations means we are well versed in these challenges and how to successfully navigate them.
Our goal is to give you a clear integration strategy to ensure that all your strategic objectives are met whilst limiting common integration pitfalls such as resistance to change, staff turnover, drops in revenue, and changes in client relations.
The Right Approach
We help you establish what type of integration approach is required based on the degree of fit between the organisations and what your post-acquisition objectives are. We then undertake critical analysis to build up a picture of the change project. We look at such things as readiness to change among employees, analyse key cultural norms and processes, assess leadership capabilities, and perform stakeholder mapping to identify existing dynamics. Taking the time to gain a clear and objective understanding of the task ahead before any changes occur is hugely important. Not doing so can lead to avoidable errors and a lack of momentum.
Our analysis enables us to present a clear change project scope, identifying the “As is” and the “To be” and the steps in between. We report on what capabilities are required for the project, what constitutes cultural wins and losses, appropriate timeframes, communication strategies, which employees have power of influence, and many other critical factors that ensure effective on-boarding. We then carve the overall change project into sub projects that build momentum whilst ensuring that change occurs at a manageable rate.
We can also coach, mentor, or train your key personnel, upskilling them for future integration projects. This has the added benefit of enabling a consistent, methodical approach to integration that can be adopted by your organisation. Successful integration means successfully managing change by scoping out the task ahead, setting expectations, and delivering on promises. We will help you execute it efficiently and effectively for a smooth integration process.
Ready to Get Started?
Get in touch to have a confidential conversation about your current integration approach and challenges.