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Management training for Mergers

The time preparing for, leading up to and during the implementation of a merger of 2 or more Organisations is a difficult time for all parties involved – but particularly for the staff of the Organisations who may be concerned about whether their job, or an equivalent one, will exist for them in the new merged Organisation.

During the preparation time there is significant planning work to be done to schedule the various activities and actions to be taken to achieve the merger. This work needs to be done at the same time as the Senior Managers are often still involved with their day to day operational responsibility for managing their current business’s effectively in the lead up to the merger. There is also the question of completing the necessary due diligence for both Organisations to establish whether or not they are suitable merger partners for each other.
The sort of management training needs or facilitation that might exist for managers involved in this work could include:-
Project planning & scheduling
Communication – timing & delivery both in writing & verbally
Prioritisation and decision making
Due diligence
One of the first key activities that takes place in the lead up to any merger is the establishment of the Executive leadership team that will run the new business and implement the merger plan and new structure. One of the management training activities that we have been involved in is to help to prepare and train the applicants for this selection process and also for the selecting panel to be trained and guided in their sensitive role of making these key appointment decisions. (This work should be done by a separate Organisation in order to avoid any conflict of interest.) For any unsuccessful candidates in this selection process there will be the need for sensitive communication and possibly career guidance and counselling to help them find a new job elsewhere.

There is a need for clear communication throughout this process to keep all parties informed and to allay people’s feelings and concerns about their future jobs where possible but to be honest and clear with people where there is not likely to be an ongoing job for them. There is also the need to consider the impact of change for all staff involved in the new merged organisation – including the managers involved in giving these messages and in implementing the new structure, processes and services. All of this needs to be done at the same time as keeping the existing customer service levels up to standard.
So the sort of management training or facilitation required at this stage could include:-
change management
customer service
sensitive communication

Overall these type of Merger situations produce testing times for all managers and staff involved and require mature handling, decision making and communication. If you require any help with these plans then please contact us.