M&A Integration
A people-first post-merger integration (PMI) approach that combines the power of each company’s people, processes, and technology to foster growth and shape “one” culture.
What Sets LEVATA M&A Integration Apart
People-first approach. Post-merger integration (PMI) is about supporting your people in bringing the organizations together. A tactical integration plan without a people focus is “integration” on paper only, and outcomes can be out of reach. By providing coaching to your leaders and integration team members on leading change, we help your people build the skills they need to lead their teams, deliver on business goals, and manage the integration effectively.
Multidisciplinary solution. Our M&A framework leverages our expertise in large-scale program management, change management, talent assessment, organization design, leadership coaching, and learning & development for a comprehensive and practical integration plan tailored for your organization.
Virtual efficiencies, real results. As a virtual organization with virtual collaboration playbooks and tools, we enable teams to work together before systems integrations occur. Teams can collaborate real-time across companies, functions, geographies, and systems from the start. This results in fewer, more impactful meetings, more efficient and effective integration and program management, and better visibility on progress.
Whether you’re talking merger or marriage, the purpose of a partnership is to create something greater than the sum of its parts. And much like planning a wedding, it’s not uncommon to focus on the whirlwind of activity leading up to the big day without realizing the real work begins once the ink has dried. This real work, in the context of a merger or acquisition, is post-merger integration – and if done right, it lays the foundation for a successful combined entity for years to come.
We Start with the Why
Let’s be honest…this work is hard, it gets messy, and you will need your team to go the extra mile to get results. Every merger or acquisition is done with goals in mind, and we translate those goals from the boardroom into a meaningful vision and purpose that inspires and motivates your people to make it happen. Skipping this step can result in your team executing against a tactical to-do list they don’t truly care about, lackluster engagement, and loss of talent at a time when you need them to remain engaged and productive.
The foundation of successful M&A integration work is recognizing that it comes down to shifts in human behavior, which lead to measurable outcomes. Our deep understanding of the complexities of a merger, combined with our expertise in human behavior and change management, enables us to help clients through the entire integration planning, design, and implementation phases in a way that supports the people doing the work.
Turning Why into How: Our M&A Integration Playbook
To achieve the expectations of a merger, a PMI plan has a lot to address: merging functional areas, integrating IT systems, optimizing operations, and providing value to customers and investors, all while combining cultures and stabilizing the people involved. Our M&A Integration Playbook demystifies the situation and accounts for these factors based on our learnings from managing integrations across a variety of company sizes, cultures, and industries.
Given the uniqueness of every integration, our M&A Integration Playbook is fully customizable while being rooted in the core activities needed to shape positive behavioral changes and gain commitment for the future. The focus areas in the playbook aren’t just the work of integration; they also include strategic goals, guiding principles, and relationship building.
Importantly, we ensure the playbook is built to work for the client, not for the consulting firm, and all organizations involved in the merger or acquisition own the playbook. Virtual collaboration tools help teams execute the playbook together, working across companies, functions, and geographies even before systems integrations take place. All of this is purposefully designed to shape the collective culture and brand from the inside out.
Planning for Future M&A Activity
The playbook we establish for your organization will also be repeatable and scalable to serve future M&A integrations. We ensure the playbook is not a static document but rather a tool adopted through proper coaching and training across leaders and employees. After all, integrations are transitions for ALL leaders and teams involved, and they don’t happen in silos. In partnering with LEVATA, you can ensure that your current and future integrations will make your company stronger as you unite forces.
M&A Integration Playbook Focus Areas
Benefits of Virtual Collaboration Tools in M&A Integration
LEVATA’s Post-Merger Integration Services
If you have an existing Integration Management Office (IMO), LEVATA is best engaged 30-60 days before the acquisition close date. If you don’t have an existing IMO, we can partner with you to establish one to ensure proper governance and plans are in place ahead of your transaction.
Our PMI services include:
Integration playbook creation and execution
Project management and change management supporting activities
Pre-close support (communication planning, change management, and retention coaching)
Virtual integration management
Please note LEVATA does not provide pre-merger services such as financial analysis and legal due diligence, but we can work with you on a strategy that maximizes your return after you’ve worked through those tasks.
Get post-merger integration that makes you stronger together.