Post-merger cultural integration

Optimising cultural integration for sustainable success

We work with organisations to co-design customised approaches to respectfully bring together cultures of merging organisations into a cohesive, unified over-arching culture, based on shared intentions, values, behaviours and goals.

Inadequate cultural integration can greatly affect the success of a merger. Failing to plan and optimise cultural integration efforts, including enhancing change leadership skills, exposes the organisation to potential inter-related risks including:

• Damage to the organisation’s reputation and credibility - inadequate change leadership can lead to poor implementation, ownership and brand engagement.

• Operational disruption - decreased workflow efficiency and productivity, alongside low morale and reduced discretionary effort, can occur when leaders fail to address passive or active workforce resistance or lack the necessary skills to do so.

• Customer dissatisfaction and lost revenue - differing expectations of work practices, flexibility, values, acceptable behaviours, customer service philosophy, or market orientation, can impact service quality and consistency.

• Increased conflict and absenteeism - mismatched leadership and communication styles, such as decision-making protocols, power distribution, collaboration preferences, and transparency levels, can lead to cultural friction, low discretionary effort and poor morale.

• Costs of employee turnover - failure to address concerns over job loss and job satisfaction, can lead to increased employee turnover, grievances or industrial disputes, adding to increased recruitment and training costs.

Approaches to cultural integration

Depending on identified needs, we work with executives and change leaders to help design and co-facilitate cultural integration that may include a program of work or targeted initiatives to ensure the return on investment of merger synergies:

Strategic change planning to clarify the scope, scale, speed and leadership style required to bring together, align and leverage the best of both cultures, while respecting and valuing aspects of high-functioning sub-cultures.

Culture assessments to identify current cultural characteristics, and to determine the gap between the existing and desired states that will optimise employee experiences, enhance brand engagement, and enable successful integration outcomes.

Engage ownership for new habits and mindsets using discovery forums to identify the issues and opportunities to encourage what works and what is likely to hinder integration and alignment, such as clear change vision, role clarity, personal accountability, etc.

Co-design of cultural qualities, organisational values, and localised “ways of working” to create a vibrant and productive work environment that supports the overall success and sustainability of the merged entity, including employee and stakeholder engagement and alignment forums.

Facilitating inter-team group dynamics and conflict resolution to improve understanding, cohesion and team effectiveness in support of interdependent outcomes.

Upskilling middle-senior leaders to lead change confidently, sensitively, and authentically to foster alignment, commitment, and mobilisation of the workforce.

Change mentoring or coaching for change leaders or change agents.