Hi Lauren, This is quite complicated and I would see really the restructuring effort on a case by case basis, and even if very similar entities, sometimes I do assume that a clear restructuring especially at the top and to align support functions is necessary if you do not want to have “phantom” or residual, if not conflicting, practices that emerge and prevail (For example on business development or legal matters you want to be sure everybody is aligned, the IT systems and data security). In my view this does not mean the acquiring company should impose its standards / methods, the acquirer should try to see out of the two entities what are the best practices and elements to move forward as a new group. The Northrop Grumman Information Technology case in the PMI section is a good example. They used the repetitive acquisitions to build up expertise (based on all the experiences) and the integration timeline as an opportunity to test people and methods.
