Integrating an Acquisition

Is your organization prepared for an acquisition?

Skill: Do key people have the knowledge, skills and ability to make the required changes? Adequate analysis of this category will require the planning team to identify key performance areas (task analysis) and assess the skills required for each of these performances (Sanchez, 2001).

Systems: How will this impact proceduralized reports, processes, and technologies? How will the formalized performance management processes be influenced?

Style: How will key leaders and managers behave in setting and achieving the organization's goals? Leadership style elements include communications style, decision making preferences, symbolic behaviors, social needs, individual values and attitudes etc.

Staff: Are the right people in the right positions in terms of their training, experience and interests? Are current staffing levels and skills sufficient to meet the demands of the planned initiative.

Shared Values: This factor relates to the significant meanings or guiding concepts that an organization imbues in its members. Relevant values/cultural elements might include norms in relation to participation, values inconsistent with the change, organizational sub-cultures that might differentially react to the change, etc.

Structure: This category refers to both the formalized and temporary structures such as task forces, teams etc. that will be involved in the initiative.

Strategy: This category of factors relates to the organization's plan for allocating scarce resources to reach identified goals. Issues explored in this category include clarity of goals in the planned initiative, linkage to broader organizational goals, understanding of the reasons for the initiative on the part of key stakeholders, etc.

Pascale, R. T. (1990) Managing on the Edge: How the Smartest Companies Use Conflict to Stay Ahead, Simon and Schuster, New York.