I think the most impactful thing an acquiring company can do is to actually do a thorough assessment of culture, identify where there are significant differences, and be very deliberate about decisions regarding those differences. It might be possible to work with leaders from the target company to find a middle ground that both companies will adopt, or maybe there are things where the one side simply has to adapt. In either case, there should be a clear plan to enable the change with strong communication and resources provided so no one feels like they have to figure it out on the fly, which will likely lead them to continue doing things the way they’re used to.
