Enhancing the ‘Sociocultural Dimension’ of Post-Merger Integration

Within the M&A approach, the sociocultural (people-centric) one is generally overlooked until later on. But what’s problematic is that this can threaten the transaction’s long-term sustainable success by leading to ‘culture clash’ & other negative aspects of ‘merger syndrome’.

However, one key method of enhancing the sociocultural M&A dimension is focusing on the integration of newly-acquired staff. Whether it be through distributing company-branded swag or organizing cross-functional networking activities, these tactics effectively introduce acquired staff to the acquiring company’s culture. Doing so can help forge ‘connective tissue’ upfront – before ‘merger syndrome’, ‘tribalism’, and friction can occur.