Integrating Teams Post-Merger With Change Management

I've led 17 M&A integrations. Here are the 5 critical lessons I've learned: 1. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 Traditional leadership development fails during integration. Why? Because uncertainty demands a different kind of leader. Through these integrations, I learned to identify leaders who: • Thrive in ambiguity • Adapt their style instantly • Read situations before they escalate • Drive change without losing people 2. 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 The true value isn't just in products and revenue. Some of the best discoveries can come from understanding what made the acquired company exceptional in their: • Human resource strategies • Cultural dynamics • Inclusion practices These are often the hidden gems that should reshape the acquiring company, not just the other way around. 3. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 Success isn't just about systems integration. It's about: • Seeing the faces behind the spreadsheets • Understanding transferable skills • Creating meaningful roles that honor expertise • Walking in their shoes through the transition 4. 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 I've watched great managers crumble during integration. And seen unexpected leaders emerge from the chaos. Here’s what differentiates: • Challenge assumptions constructively with market intelligence • Balance short-term wins with long-term strategic goals • Support decision-making with clear risk/benefit analysis • Act as a bridge between acquired and acquiring leadership teams 5. 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 While integration is complex, maintaining business momentum is critical. Focus on: • Preserving customer relationships • Maintaining operational excellence • Protecting revenue streams • Keeping top talent engaged Through these integrations, I've learned that success isn't written in manuals. It's carved out in moments of uncertainty. The best strategies emerge when we dare to look beyond traditional playbooks. And see the full picture: products, people, and possibilities. 👉 To my fellow Corporate Development and M&A experts: What crucial lessons would you add from your integration experiences? Share them below so we can keep learning from each other.

When doing any M&A - are you purchasing the intellectual property or the business? Because if you're buying ANYTHING more than the intellectual property, trust is at the core of the integration. You can (maybe) integrate systems in 90 days. Integrating trust takes a whole lot longer. One of the most overlooked risks in M&A? The human one. I’ve been through multiple integrations, due diligence cycles, and post-close transitions. And I can tell you: spreadsheets may win the deal, but it's trust, communication, and culture that determine whether the value actually materializes. Circling back to one of my previous posts - it is also making sure the "say" and the "do" match - ALL the way back to the initial due diligence. Here's what often gets missed: 🔹 People interpret silence as threat - and in the absence of information will create their own story - which is often significantly worse than the truth! Communication isn't just a courtesy—it's risk mitigation. 🔹 Culture is an operating system. Every team has embedded ways of working. If you force alignment without understanding those patterns, you may inadvertently shut down what made them successful in the first place. 🔹 Integration is emotional. Titles shift. Power moves. Identities blur. Benefits change. The process isn’t just technical—it’s deeply personal. And without a strategy for that, and a proactive change plan (that is HEAVY on the communication) you’re leaving value on the table. The most successful integrations I’ve supported had three things in common: 🧩 A shared leadership narrative grounded in purpose and clarity. 🧩 Early identification of cultural hotspots—not just red flags, but areas of pride and strength. Coupled with the understanding that the acquired organization may often have things to teach the buying organization! 🧩 A deliberate, empathetic, and transparent approach to change management—because speed without humanity breeds resistance. M&A is an incredible opportunity to reset, refocus, and rebuild stronger. But only if the people inside the business believe they have a future in the new version. The real synergy? It’s not just in the balance sheet. It’s in the belief system. I'd love to hear from others—what’s something you’ve seen work (or not) when two organizations become one?

“Go out there, meet the team, figure out what they need; and then tell me how you’re going to turn things around.” That was my mandate.  We had acquired another company as part of our growth strategy, but like many early M&A plays, we had no real integration plan. What we now had was a struggling design center.  Once the pride of its region, this team had been featured in the local business journal as “the next big IPO.” Three years later, they sold quietly—absorbed into our company as a support function. No roadmap. No vision. No autonomy.  𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱. In my 15+ years working with growth-stage companies and integration projects, I’ve learned that if you don’t have a plan for how to win after the deal closes, you’ve already planned to fail. On the flight home, I scribbled down what had been missing:   🚫 This wasn’t about systems or payroll or shared overhead.   🤝 It was about people, and their sense of purpose. Being acquired wasn’t part of this team’s plan. They went from driving their own roadmap to supporting someone else’s. And the energy shift was noticeable.  So, we did something simple but powerful: we gave them ownership. We moved a project from another site and let them lead it.   They were calling the shots again. Making decisions. Building something they could be proud of. Productivity jumped,   Morale improved,   And the “difficult satellite office” became a 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. We didn’t fix that team with top-down strategy.   We fixed it by giving them a stake in the outcome. Because in M&A, integration isn’t just about combining operations—it’s about preserving identity, reigniting purpose, and creating space for new success to emerge. #valuecreation #integrationstrategy #operatingpartner #leadership

An acquisition isn’t a strategy. It’s a starting point. The deal is done. But the team? Not yet. Here’s where we see integration stall every time: 🔸️Culture is assumed, not aligned. 🔸️Middle managers are left in the dark. 🔸️The new “we” never gets defined. To get ahead of that, here are 3 steps you can take today: 1. Define 3 non-negotiable behaviors that highlight what good leadership looks like now. Get specific. Co-create these expectations across both legacy teams. 2. Spot the hidden tripwires. Culture isn’t the poster on the wall, it’s how decisions get made and who gets rewarded. Identify mismatches early, before they trigger breakdowns. 3. Equip the middle 20%. These managers carry the weight of change. Invest in their clarity and confidence now, or risk confusion later. Allison Wright and I built a culture integration tool to support this work- one that surfaces blind spots, aligns behavior, and creates shared language for what’s next. Signing the deal is the easy part. Building a unified team that performs? That’s the real integration. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before your first M&A integration? #MergersAndAcquisitions #Leadership #IntegrationStrategy #OrganizationalEffectiveness #CultureChange #ChangeManagement #Transformation