November 17, 2011

One Day Acquisition Workshop

You’ve “done the deal”…now what?

Celebrate? Not yet! We propose that it is only after long hours of financial due diligence, endless paperwork, and checking and re-checking data, that the REAL work begins.

Getting the maximum value out of a merger or acquisition requires focused attention on your post-deal activities, a disciplined approach to integrate or assimilate the deal, and above all…speed.

Trust Merger Coach with the key players responsible for the post-deal work. Using field-tested and proven TurboTrak Coaching, you will take away a solid, informed platform for your transition. At the end of a hard-hitting one-day session, you will have:

  • The ability to identify how the key moving parts of a transition work and when they need focused attention
  • A thorough understanding of the sequential and linked components present in all transitions
  • Ways to get the most out of the intellectual capital in your organization(s) and to keep the critical talent you need at home
  • Examples of how to communicate the right information to the right people at the right time
  • Exposure to powerful tools that will increase the speed and leverage the full value of the transition.

QUIZ: What Level of Integration Do You Face?

MergerCoach’s One Day TurboTrak Coaching comes in three varieties based on your integration needs. Take the quiz below to determine whether you have a High, Medium of Low Integration transition.

1. Regarding our near-term (two year) strategic roadmap:

  1. We intend to deploy our current strategy in both organizations (ours and the company we are acquiring), overriding the strategy of the acquired company. (3)
  2. Our expectation is that we will work closely with the acquired company to coordinate the deployment of both company’s near-term strategies. (2)
  3. We intend to look at both companies’ strategies, and then create and deploy one near-term strategy that takes into account best of breed thinking. (1)

2. Regarding our business structure:

  1. We intend to keep our existing business structure. The company being acquired will continue with their existing business structure. (3)
  2. A new business structure will likely be needed to deploy our near-term strategy. We will evaluate the structural elements and purposes of both organizations, and then develop a new or modified business structure. (1)
  3. Our intent is to adapt the acquired company’s structure to our own. This may require re-evaluation of pieces of our structure, but we don’t anticipate a major reorganization structurally. (2)

3. Regarding interfaces (touch-points between the two organizations):

  1. Our intent is to evaluate the interfaces and make adjustments only where required to ensure effectiveness or efficiency of operations (2)
  2. We don’t perceive any explicit touch-points between the two organizations. The two organizations are distinct in terms of the offerings, product lines, operations, and management responsibilities. (3)
  3. We expect to actively manage significant interfaces between the organizations that may require modifications for both organizations. We anticipate great synergies as a result of successfully managing those overlaps. (1)

4. Regarding cultural issues (otherwise known as artifacts and customs):

  1. We assume we will need to blend the best thinking around cultural issues from both organizations and then allow a new, combined culture to surface over time. (1)
  2. Because of certain touch-points between the organizations, we intend to modify some customs or cultural practices based on what works for each organization in the context of what is required for the greater success of the whole. (2)
  3. Cultural considerations are not part of our thinking for this deal. We intend to maintain distinct cultural practices. (3)

5. Regarding functional skills:

  1. Our intent is to incorporate both pools of employee skills into one accessible repository. This way, we can ensure we have the appropriate skill set for each job needing to be accomplished. (1)
  2. Doing an exhaustive analysis to understand what skills each organization possesses will not be important to us for this deal to be successful. (3)
  3. We intend to share skill sets across the two organizations. If a person with one company, based on skill analysis, is a better fit for the other company, we will make changes accordingly. (2)

6. Regarding support systems:

  1. Each organization will have its existing support systems, including finance, HR, information technology, and communication channels going forward. (3)
  2. Our intent is to look at the support systems of both organizations, carefully examine best practices, and develop one coherent support system to serve the new organization. (2)
  3. Our intent is to consolidate support systems from both organizations. It simply makes good fiscal sense to cut out extra overhead wherever possible. (1)

7. Regarding branding:

  1. This deal does not require us going forward with the other organization as one, consolidated brand. We will evaluate various alternatives, such as combining logos, creating one letterhead, etc., on an as-needed basis. (2)
  2. To be most effective, we must consolidate our branding efforts, including evaluating our new name, new logo, ideal tag line, etc. (1)
  3. We expect to build a “house of brands” with this deal. Consolidating brands is not our intent. (3)

8. Regarding leadership:

  1. Executive positions in both organizations will be preserved in their current form. (3)
  2. Executive positions will be evaluated and determinations made relative to which positions and people would remain in their current positions and which ones would shift to other roles and responsibilities. (1)
  3. Executive positions will be looked at and any changes made on an as-needed basis. (2)

Scoring Key:

If your score totals 8-12, you are expecting to perform a high integration transition.
If your score totals 13-19, you are prepared to perform a medium integration transition.
If your score totals 20-24, you are performing a low integration transition.

High Integration Transition

Your objectives are to:

  1. Level-set your new, strategic course for the combined organization
  2. Leverage best-practice thinking relative to your new business structure, internal systems, and competencies (skills)
  3. Demonstrate tools that will power up your integration process for four critical steps: Integration Strategy, Business Structure, Internal Systems, and Skills.

As a result of this TurboTrak, you will:

  • Gain a working knowledge of basic tools and concepts that can be applied by internal resources during integration activities, including a strategic environmental scan, business structure models, communication models, and predictable change dynamic models.
  • Get an up-close look at a disciplined process that will bring order and add significant value to the deal.

Who Should Attend
Senior executives (to include the Integration Team and the appointed Project Manager, if one has been designated)

>>>>> Find Out More Now

Medium Integration Transition

Your objectives are to:

  1. Gain insight into how your strategy and business structure decisions impact the effectiveness of your overall transition
  2. Introduce discipline and clarity into the process of modifying internal systems that join the two organizations at appropriate points
  3. Get hands-on examples of tools and processes that will allow you to appropriately and quickly examine and modify the key systems that get work done
  4. Understand how to ensure you keep and develop the right skills from both organizations

As a result of this TurboTrak, you will:

  • Achieve an understanding of the flow-through nature of the four key steps: Strategy, Structure, Systems, and Skills
  • Gain a working knowledge of system template and process
  • Understand how competency models work and where core value lies.

Who Should Attend
Designated Project Manager, key functional managers (including Human Resources, Operations, Information Technology, Finance, etc.)

>>>>> Find Out More Now

Low Integration Transition

Your objectives are to:

  1. Verify that the product and market mix provides optimum results for the company
  2. Build the value and impact of product market thinking into the long-range acquisition plan
  3. Identify where the critical skills and competencies required to make it all work reside.

As a result of this TurboTrak, you will:

  • Gain a working knowledge of basic tools and concepts that leverage financial performance, timing, emphasis, order and overlap of products and markets, including key management competency models
  • Get an up-close look at a disciplined process that will bring order and significant value to the process of growth by acquisition.

Who Should Attend:
Head of Business Development
Head of Human Resources

Contact us to learn how the One Day Workshop can boost your chances for success!