L.E.K. has decades of experience in the field of m&a integration, has witnessed a lot of success or a struggling integration project.Some integration seems simple but ended in failure, some integration involving multiple entities, complex process.We have to help customers successful completion of the complex integration process.Based on a review of the past a lot of integration project, we summarized the integration of the three key factors of success.
1. The right leadership
The right leadership involves multiple aspects.First of all, the organization's top management must recognized the importance of the integration of the project, and provide support at the decision-making level, actively promote staff communication, and emphasize the value of mergers and acquisitions (or buy).
Second, the enterprise needs to appoint someone to lead the merger integration project, and can ensure its main focus on the integration of the related work.Ideally, the head should be within the organization of high management layer, the respected enough to understand and be able to coordinate different functional departments in the organization.Considering the director may require frequent coordinate different workflow, contribute to the ability of high-level strategic discussion is particularly important.Appropriate integration project director can significantly speed up the decision-making process and integration.
In addition, the workflow level also need clear responsibility and accountability system.L.E.K.倡导按照组织既有的职能团队划分来组织整合团队的工作流，而这正是并购整合的关键。每一个工作流都需要指定一个明确的负责人。并购整合团队的配置应当考虑企业和整合的规模以及复杂程度（例如，项目发起人+工作流负责人，来自收购方和收购标的的工作流共同负责人）。整合项目的负责人必须承担起制定计划的责任，并带领团队落实计划。
2. Clear plan
As stated earlier, the specific implementation is done in the aspect of workflow.Some integration involves working content is clear and clear, some integration need to spend extra time and effort to determine the appropriate way of consolidation, there are some cases, to integrate the work required (and for the advance of the appropriate route) the establishment of the is not easy, need to related systems, procedures, and account for a more detailed comparison.
Integration team need to develop clear work plan in response to different scenarios, plan the span of time may be a few weeks, months, even years.Integration step may be clear, as the information may also need to collect further adjustments.In any case, team need to invest time in the first place overall effective work plan.
Many companies in integrating belittle the importance of the plan itself.Integrated planning should be highly precise and orderly, need strategic method based on the comprehensive effective solutions are obtained."Action" company and leaders may tend to take action as soon as possible, and it is easy to nurse will make some of the key long-term planning.
We suggest the integration plan, make clear in the early years of the service customer, we usually within a few weeks, not a few months to complete related work.Although different types of integration plan, including the integration of different functional teams to plan the level of detail will vary, but a clear plan is the guarantee of success later execution.
3. The right execution method
With specific integration plan for different workflow, integration team need to start preparing for plan implementation.Plan is the first step in order to establish the effective governance structure integration project, namely clear roles, responsibilities and expectations.In addition, define the phased deliverables and timely report progress is also very important.For example can arrange weekly or regular meeting every two weeks, in order to ensure information sharing, decision making and implementation of milestones.
Different workflow in the implementation of cooperative management level is also very important.The integration of different workflow planning need considering the correlation between upstream and downstream.Plan and schedule will change: possible new challenges, have a schedule of key personnel leave, the customer may in advance or delay, sometimes the company's management and also it will acquire another company incorporated in the consolidation plan.When a workflow integration plan needs to be changed, it is necessary to understand how the cohesion between the workflow, only in this way can better help integration team to improve and adjustment plan.
Finally, the execution of clear organizational structure can ensure that effective communication.In most cases, the management to understand the importance of communication, however they reduce communication in order to avoid the error information.When there is no correct information flow, the company's different parties may on its own to find the answers (or make up his own answer), lead to misleading and error message.
But if there is a clear implementation plan, the company will be able to formulate the corresponding communication strategy, to deal with those without a clear answer.An effective communication strategy to establish a mechanism for continuous summary of the integration of the current situation, including when can get more information.Do this, although not absolutely prevent rumors, anxiety, worry, and can significantly reduce the organization false information.
Although there may be a lot of problems in the process of integration, but as long as the focus on "the right leadership", "clear plan" and "proper execution method" the three basic elements, can let the consolidation process more smoothly.
