This is a podcast on M&A Stories on Culture with Senior Practitioner Sarah Rodgers.
Show Notes:
The impact of Culture is huge in an integration. Every organization has its unique culture. One of the first things that Sarah learned about culture was the need to be onsite to get a better understanding of the acquired company’s culture, the personalities involved, and how the companies work. Companies tend to put too much focus on numbers, synergies, rationales, and money aspects but at the end of the day, it is all about people and culture.
Sarah talks about her early years of experience related to culture when she used to work with a company based in New York which had acquired a company in the midwest. She realized she needed to blend with their culture. You need to take care of your attire which needs to blend well with the acquired company culture. You should not come in with a pre-conceived agenda that whatever approach worked with your acquiring company will work with the acquired company.
The ramifications of culture can be massive. In one of the examples she mentioned, the employees of the acquired company walked out with their key clients costing the acquiring company millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Culture is not seen as important or too small to appear on the agenda of senior leaders or worse, they are so busy that they can’t prioritize culture on their agenda. But the ultimate delusion that senior leaders have is that cultural integration will happen on its own. Culture should be dealt with respect, and should have transparent communication, and the right level of support.
Watch the episode to know more.
Sarah Rodgers is a senior M&A practitioner and has been involved in several integrations across different industries. She is a dynamic professional with a proven track record for leading programs and implementing change. She regularly handles complex business issues in the areas of business transformation through acquisition, merger, divestiture, or carve-outs. She has expertise in designing and delivering consistent program management, governance, change management, and interim leadership.
-------
The hosts of the interview are:
Anirvan Sen, CEO Fifth Chrome,
Anahita Sen, Co-Facilitator Fifth Chrome Podcasts
-------
This interview is part of a series run by Fifth Chrome , an business strategy advisory and training company specializing in M&A, Integration, and Business Transformations.
-------
Books mentioned: