NAVIGATING THE TRANSITION

Planning the Way Forward When Your Company Gets Bought Out

Jewel Daniels Radford

Defining the Transition

Levers to Cultural Bridge-building

Steps to Successful Integration

THE PLAN AGENDA

Defining the TransitionTemperature Check

Defining the TransitionBeware of burnout. Often, after a corporate buyout, burnout sets in.

Why? Picture is unclear, the unexpected is dominant, what needs to be done is tremendous.

» Initiative is stifled» Creativity is hampered» Energy that drove the organization to be a

buyout target dissipates.

Your Assignment - Keep your team focused

and energized .

Defining the Transition

Make your company's value-proposition clear. When a major corporation buys out a smaller company, even after due diligence, sooner rather than later, the executives forget some of the core reasons and products that propelled them to acquire it. It is up to you to remind them why they bought your company, and why you're important.

Defining the Transition

Be mindful of the corporation's needs. It is essential that you understand how the corporation as a whole views your organization's role as part of the corporate business strategy. The more you understand the corporate business strategy and are mindful of the corporate need, the more likely you are to be an important player.

Create partnerships. Whether at the corporate level, or across businesses, it is critical that you forge partnerships, collaborate with others, and develop a mutual understanding of how, in unison, you can move toward a common goal.   

Defining the TransitionBe careful of nostalgia. Before your company is totally integrated into the larger corporation, there is a tendency to fall back on reminiscing about the good old days, when you operated differently, and could do what you like, when you liked.

More often than not, in these reveries, you will remember the positive and underplay the negative. Resist the urge to give in to nostalgia. Instead, find ways to build roads that value the old and the new ways to getting things done.

Defining the Transition

Embrace common corporate culture. Organizations that are bought out sometimes become xenophobic and often ignore (if not openly reject) the culture of the larger corporation, viewing it as stultifying and dominating. Find a way of integrating your culture with the new corporate culture that doesn't diminish either.

Defining the Transition

Accentuate your innovative ability Organizations are typically bought not just for one of two products but for their

creative potential to offer integrated solutions. The more you can promote your innovative vitality, the more likely you are to grow in the new corporate setting.

12 Simple Things

7 Key Levers to Cultural Bridge-building

1. Integration teams, which can build the necessary relationships between the two companies;

Watch2. Speed, which refers to the sense of urgency (not haste)

that must accompany the integration;

3. Leadership, or buy-in to the process from key members of the management team;

7 Key Levers to Cultural Integration

4. Communication, which must be consistent both internally and externally;

5. Retention of valuable employees who can help smooth the transition;

6. Culture, second in importance only to results; and

7. Results, which are the ultimate goals of new ownership, and which should guide the process.

Steps to Successful IntegrationIntegration Processes - form integration teams that are composed of a

corporate-level sponsor, a member of the HR department, and a representative from each area of the company’s operations. What’s their function:– Guide the integration process– ensure that consistent communication occurs– Gathers, and calibrates employee feedback– Helps to cultivate process focused on handling problems that arise– Works to keep employees connect to the process– Provides guidance on need to course correct

Example of hierarchy structure: example, a senior-level team may have under it several teams broken down by company unit, which in turn leads teams broken down by responsibility within the unit.

Steps to Successful IntegrationIntegration Processes - form integration teams that are composed

of a corporate-level sponsor, a member of the HR department, and a representative from each area of the company’s operations. What’s their function:– Guide the integration process– ensure that consistent communication occurs– Gathers, and calibrates employee feedback– Helps to cultivate process focused on handling problems that arise– Works to keep employees connect to the process– Provides guidance on need to course correct

– Example of hierarchy structure: example, a senior-level team may have under it several teams broken down by company unit, which in turn leads teams broken down by responsibility within the unit.

Steps to Successful IntegrationIntegration Tools – helps leaders and team members transition and

should be guided by the new companies existing plans.

Examples :Mentoring program – match new leaders and employees with

counterparts already in existenceScheduled meetings, workshops /info forums, stress busters• number of team meetings should increase to maintain flow of

information, strengthen communication and maintain employee temperature check

• Workshop/info forums held regularly to drive new company culture, business practices, share new policies and procedures

Steps to Successful Integration• Workshop/info forums should be leveraged as a means of building

morale through networking, Q&A sound bite sessions (run by HR)• Stress busters – greater focus on relationship building through

company socials, community service projects and sports leagues and other social activities.

Measuring Integration – success can only be defined by robust measurement tools which requires thoughtful planning at the beginning of the process.

• Ongoing process lead by integration teams• Provide real-time feedback• Action outputs• Enhance strategies• Analyze, tweak or eliminate ideas that are not adding alue

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