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KANSAS CITY V. PHILADELPHIA.
The news announces Today: Kansas City Chiefs bought the Philadelphia Eagles.
As they prepare for the upcoming Super Bowl, ONE team will win, and one team will lose. They’re rivals.
How do you think that game will go? How do you process the news as a fan (i.e., customer)?
Obviously not a real scenario … but similar events happen regularly in business – creating strange bedfellows that don’t work in reality after the deal is signed. Why?
Culture mesh is not about people changing a uniform – or being acquired and declared “part of one team.”
Two separate organizations, each with strong loyalty, history and identity – become “one” overnight. Usually without warming or a sensible story… of course it sends shock waves through the people who work there.
Often leading to spectacular failures like these:
The lack of a good plan and proactive culture alignment process is a primary reason so many merger/acquisition efforts fail to deliver the promised ROI.
It takes months – or years – to recover. (if ever.)
Having been engaged on multiple efforts to “merge cultures” after the face – I’ve seen the disruption and confusion create unnecessary pain. And failure.
Finding harmony (that unlocks ROI) in a merger or acquisition IS a culture play. It requires a committed effort. A “long game” approach. A realistic effort to translate the imagined benefits into reality.
6 TACTICS FOR MERGER ROI:
#1 Create a visible road map
A compelling, sincere case for the purpose, vision and expected stages (what will change, what won’t) help people who are making up stories.
Training is not change. Coaching is not change. Change management programs don’t mean “we’re changed.”
Be real that big change is a long-term journey. Accept it will take time to digest, to realize the full benefits.
#2 Day One: Answer questions before they’re asked.
An acquisition brings fear and confusion. Typical questions people want to know:
• What will stay the same in each entity?
• What will change immediately?
• How will that impact me, my teams? – specifically? When?
• What will happen next? Will I lose my job?
• What culture elements will be preserved in both entities?
• What changes are expected and supported, from the beginning?
• What questions exist in your world, that people are not voicing?)
#3. Be Real and Build a Culture Map.
An essential approach to avoiding the high failure rates (and turnover of top talent) – is culture diligence done up front. Be thorough, real and tangible about the differences. Define measurable strengths, traits, values-in-action. Those “unseen but prominent” quirks and hot buttons.
• What are differences in the respective approaches to adaptability?
• Are we a culture that is Innovating constantly or slow-walking new ideas?
• Do we set strategy and goals through KPIs that are managed, or more “wing it”?
• Is customer satisfaction lip service that lacks depth or aligned action? Or the core of our culture?
• Do we develop people? Promote through transparent, fair means?
#4. Envision and Foster “One Tribe”
FACE THE TRUTH: What’s being said over the dinner table at home is fare more impactful to your “change success” than anything you write on a vision poster or policy manual. You can’t force people to adopt a new identity. You can help leaders create a compelling case for why “We Are One” is beneficial (beyond profit and numbers) and how we’ll support it. Make it make sense. Then, the dinner table talk can be more like “wow, this could be an interesting opportunity.
Common ground is built with persistence and listening. Which is often overlooked. Trust is built through relationship building not Powerpoint.
Plan to foster genuine relationships between senior management, mid-level management, front-line supervisors and employees.
Expect turf wars. When the focus is on the strategy and operational details – with little or no attention to how it effects people’s day to day life – the culture fails to integrate, and the turf wars erode confidence and ROI for the change. You need a change management and culture integration plan.
• Like combining two families in a 2nd marriage – it’s a long-term effort and doesn’t happen overnight.
• Plan how to honor both existing cultures (what are the respective norms and habits for non-work fun, building common ground, celebrating success?)
• Be realistic. Overloading people with training and communication can be overwhelming, when layered on top of existing job duties with no relief. Break it down, endeavor to make it fun and “be real” to your situation.
5. Walk the Talk with Empathy + “One Team” Commitment.
If you’re part of the leadership team, you know what’s happening before anyone else. You’ve had the gift of time to process and figure out where you stand. If you’re staying, you’ve worried about a lot of details. Leaders can speed up the acceptance process – and enable integration when they:
• Stand in the shoes of everyone who doesn’t know.
• Visibly show care for how this impacts people on both sides. This matters. A LOT.
• Demonstrate how it pays off to build new connections across the companies (by doing it visibly yourself.)
• Help your people with structured ways to build genuine connections. (and bury the hatchet!)
• Demonstrate and talk about why you believe the change will be good for all. How cooperation creates new energy.
Expect it will take time. More than you think – or want. Don’t give up.
6. Feed Commitment, Starve Resistance.
The mark of true leadership is helping rivals find reasons to work together, not remain enemies.
Accept there is no magic mandate, training, coaching, change tactic or social campaign that will “fix” resistance.
You accomplish relationship cooperation and trust-building with time, patience and meaningful rewards (sometimes just positive feedback.)
If there’s resistance don’t ignore it – commit to understanding it – if necessary, seek help to turn it around. .
Preventing Decline is a Growth Strategy. Commit.
Big change requires a committed and powerful sponsor with an adaptive plan and a lot of care for people.
Give regular attention to small details – these matter and are REALLY important to your people’s day to day.
Make time for connection and planning how to relieve the uncertainty and pressure.
Shore up fatigue with happy moments – don’t skimp on the fun!! Small things matter, if done with sincerity.
Give the organization time to recover before engaging in the next round.
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What methods have you seen work well for guiding / leading transformational change?
Please make a comment and share the wisdom!
#Merger-Acquisition #CultureChange #StompOutBurnout
