Employee Communication During Mergers and Acquisitions

Communication is the key to organisational success and nowhere is this truism more apparent than in the influence of internal communication during a transformational process as dramatic as a merger or acquisition. During the complex process of bringing the two sets of employees together, continuous effort is crucial for keeping in touch with how people feel; communicating information clearly across both bidder and target; and beginning the process of creating a new culture for the merged company. Communication is vital, but information on what to do when and how to overcome, or at least minimise, the practical problems inherent in trying to communicate at a time when there is often little news, and when so much must remain confidential is essential. Employee Communication During Mergers and Acquisitions provides a blueprint for your internal communication during a merger or acquisition, it contains checklists, examples and tables to help busy communication and integration teams by providing them with practical guidance and examples of what they should consider. The authors start with the genesis of your strategy and the statutory framework before the partner company has been identified, then move on to each of the stages of negotiation, merger announcement, pre-merger preparation, and in the critical first 100 days, following the merger. The book includes chapters exploring the process of developing the employer brand for the new entity as well as of measuring and building on the success of your strategy and is illustrated throughout by a range of case studies.

Table of Contents

1. Cover Page
2. Dedication
3. Title Page
4. Copyright Page
5. Contents
6. List of Figures
7. List of Tables
8. Acknowledgements
9. Foreword by Simon Robertson
10. Introduction
11. 1 Stage One: The Strategic Need – Before a Partner is Identified
12. 2 Stage Two: Due Diligence
13. 3 Stage Three: The Initial Announcement
14. 4 Stage Four: From the Announcement to Day One
15. 5 Stage Five: The First 100 Days
16. 6 Stage Six: Establishing an Employer Brand for the Merged Organisation
17. Bibliography
18. Index