Step 4: Provide M&A Integration Training

In the fourth step of PRITCHETT's M&A methodology, integration team members learn a proven process so they can produce excellent results ... repeatedly. 

An unprepared or overconfident acquirer can get lucky and succeed at one merger the same way a bad poker player will sometimes win a hand. It takes more than good fortune to successfully integrate acquisitions time after time. That kind of consistency requires a replicable, scalable methodology just like the proven one taught by our consultants in PRITCHETT's Merger Integration Certification Workshop. More than 30,000 people have attended our workshop making it the most successful post-merger integration training in the world.

Check out our answers to common FAQs about M&A integration.

Training Includes Free One-Year Online Subscription to
Over 20 M&A Integration Playbooks, 100 Presentations, 100 Tools, 30 Checklists, 100 Articles, Plus More
Learn More

top 10 reasons to attend post merger integration training

Comments from Over 100 Attendees

Answers to FAQs about M&A Integration

M&A Integration Assessment

M&A Integration Articles

Post-Merger Integration Process

Answers to FAQs about M&A Integration

M&A Integration Best Practices, Principles, and Priorities

M&A Integration Best Practices, Principles, and Priorities

Answers to these questions:

  • What are several best practices for M&A integration projects?
  • Why are fast integrations more likely to succeed?
  • Why is project management during M&A integrations so important?
  • What are examples of guiding principles?
  • What are integration guiding principles?
  • What should be the priorities during a post-merger integration?
  • What areas deserve special attention during an M&A
  • What are the rules to follow when integrating small well-run companies?
  • What are key questions to ask during a post-merger integration audit?
What Every Acquirer Should Know about Post-Merger (M&A) Integration

What Every Acquirer Should Know about Post-Merger Integration

Answers to these questions:

  • Why should acquirers follow a well-defined process for an M&A integration?
  • What is the single best predictor of M&A integration success?
  • What is the most consequential meeting in an M&A integration?
  • What is usually the worst managed aspect of integrations?
  • What is the usual length of an M&A integration?
  • Why are early wins critical to M&A success?
  • Why should staffing decisions be made early?
  • What are the most common complaints from employees during an integration?
  • What is an M&A integration playbook?
M&A Integration Strategy and Planning

M&A Integration Strategy and Planning

Answers to these questions:

  • What are the five types of integration strategies?
  • When should the M&A integration planning process start?
  • What is the first step in integration planning?
  • What are the key elements in an M&A integration plan?
  • What is a post-merger integration end state?
  • What is a 100-Day Plan?
  • What should executive not say when announcing the deal to employees?
  • Why is Day 1 so important?
  • To what extent should acquirers integrate?
  • Is it more difficult to integrate a “merger of equals” than other types of mergers?
M&A Integration Team Structure

M&A Integration Team Structure

Answers to these questions:

  • What is the typical team structure for an M&A integration?
  • What is integration governance?
  • Who is on the integration steering committee and what is its role?
  • What is an Integration Management Office (IMO)?
  • What is the role of the Integration Manager?
  • What are the seven key attributes an Integration Manager should have?
  • How much time should integration team members dedicate to an integration?
  • When should you invite the target to participate in planning?
  • What is an M&A integration team charter?
  • When should M&A integration teams be disbanded?
Merging Cultures in Organizations

Merging Cultures in Organizations

Answers to these questions:

  • Should you try to build one common culture during an integration?
  • Are cultural differences the #1 reason mergers fail?
  • Do most acquirers perform formal cultural assessments on target companies?
  • What questions should you ask when performing a cultural assessment of the acquired company?
Post Merger Integration Risks and Problems

Post-Merger Integration Risks and Problems

Answers to these questions:

  • What are factors that increase post-merger integration risks?
  • What is usually the most dangerous phase of M&A integration?
  • Do some acquirers and consulting overcomplicate M&A integrations?
  • How can you tell if a merger integration is being mismanaged?
  • What are the most common causes of M&A integration problems?
  • What is gun jumping?
  • What guidelines should be followed to prevent gun jumping prior to close?
  • Which is easier - making the deal or making the deal work?
  • What are the problems caused by poor communications during an M&A integration?

 
Post Merger Employee Retention & Staffing

Post Merger Employee Retention & Staffing

Answers to these questions:

  • What are several post-merger integration employee retention methods?
  • What are stay bonuses and do they work?
  • What is leadership soft due diligence?
  • Why do so many employee retention efforts fail during integrations?
  • What are the steps in the employee retention process after an acquisition?
  • How should acquirers approach staffing decisions in a merger?
  • Why should employee issues be addressed quickly after close of a merger?
  • How many people in the acquired company can you expect to support the merger?
  • How can acquirers protect the work force’s productivity during the integration?

M&A Integration Assessment

What's your Merger IQ?

What's Your Merger IQ?

Companies often struggle through integrations because managers have been taught little about the process or, even worse, have been taught the wrong things. Many of the correct moves are not obvious.

Learn what you really know about merger management. Take our 16-question online Merger IQ exam. The answers to the test are based on PRITCHETT LP's three decades of acquisition integration consulting experience.

M&A Integration Articles

Playing Russian Roulette with the Merged Company's Future at Stake

Playing Russian Roulette with the Merged Company's Future at Stake

An integration is no place for on-the-job training. There's too much on the line. 

Consolidating two companies isn’t anything like running the day-to-day business. There's little in the routine operation of a business that prepares its managers to run an M&A integration …
The Yin and Yang of Merger Integration

The Yin and Yang of M&A Integration

The yin-yang symbol represents the ancient Chinese understanding of how things work.  In the context of merger integration, think of the white area (yang) as the “hard stuff” and the black area (yin) as the “soft stuff.”  Yang is project management, yin is people management. So which do you think is more important ...
HR's role in M&A

Role of HR During Mergers and Acquisitions

Three things that are guaranteed to give HR a better seat at the table: ...
Today's Deals Ain't Your Daddy's M&A

Today's Deals Ain't Your Daddy's M&A

THE BIG SHIFT

In today’s business world the game is growth. Ramping up. Getting bigger to get better. Some companies go at it conservatively, in incremental fashion. Other outfits shoot the works . . .
How does being acquired change the game

M&A ... How Does Being Acquired Change the Game?

Eye-opening, recent research on talent retention, productivity, and psychological readiness in acquired companies ...
10 Questions to Answer Before a Post-Merger Integration

10 Key Questions to Answer Before a Post-Merger Integration

More than 30 years of experience with mergers and acquisitions has taught us some important lessons.  For example, here are Ten Value-Accelerating Questions you should ask yourself before beginning the delicate process of combining companies ...
 
Merger Motives the logic behind every acquisition

Merger Motives: The Logic Behind Every Acquisition

A strategically savvy, financially sound, and operationally smart deal can still fail because acquisitions are fundamentally human transactions. And whenever human beings are involved, there’s always the potential for complexity and mistakes.

So why, knowing that mergers and acquisitions can create difficult-to-manage problems, do organizations continue to do deals?  Three reasons.

1.    Growth: Many organizations are having difficulty growing at an acceptable rate by internal means alone. They simply can’t capture market share, introduce new products, acquire new customers, conquer new geographies, or eliminate the competition quickly enough without joining forces.

2.    Consolidation: Another reason companies merge or acquire is overcapacity. In many sectors we just have too many providers offering too many products or services. Consolidation is simply a mechanism we use to re-balance supply and demand. When competitors consolidate, the market becomes more efficient …

Post-Merger Integration Process

The Phases of Mergers & Acquisitions

The Phases in the Mergers & Acquisitions Process

The coming together of two companies should be handled as a single, coordinated process. 

Integration cannot be divorced from any of the other phases and should not be treated as though it can be ...
The Steps in the Post-Merger integration Process?

What are the Steps in the Post-Merger Integration Process?

The 11 steps to follow when integrating two organizations: ...
Merger Integration Management Process

Merger Integration Management Process

Objectives of Weekly Merger Integration Management Process

  • Add speed and efficiency to integration planning
  • Ensure that we make the most of all meetings and interactions
  • Proactively manage the identification and escalation of issues and decisions
  • Set the pace for M&A integration planning
Overview of Merger Integration Planning Process

Overview of Merger Integration Planning Process

Detailed Merger Planning Lessons Learned
  –    Understand/Validate dependencies

  • Facilitate joint team meetings to identify and address dependencies
  • Ensure tight coordination between transitions and customer support organizations …
Can You Identify the 3 Mistakes in this M&A Presentation?

Can You Identify the 3 Mistakes in this M&A Presentation?

Can you identify the three most common mistakes by executives in M&A? You will hear at least one of these ill-advised comments during your intergations.
How to explain mergers and acquisitions process to employees

How to Explain the Merger & Acquisition Process to Employees

Employees are typically hungry for information about the merger. This document explains the M&A steps in a simple, concise manner ...
Merger Integration Issues

Merger Integration Issues: People, Places, and Things

In attempting to realize the true value of a merger, the buyer must coordinate a smooth and efficient merger integration process. Important issues need to be addressed in three areas – people, places, and things ...