Acquisitions create an insatiable demand for communication and connection. Here are ten reasons why:

  1. More questions than answers.  Acquisitions create a lot of unknowns.  Energy focuses on “what’s going to happen to me.”  People begin to ask questions you couldn’t answer even in stable times.  And of course, everything that goes wrong gets blamed on the deal.
     
  2. Rumor mill cranks at E-speed.  The rumor mill causes a lot of information warp.  There are many unreliable messages floating around that need to be identified and cleared up. Electronic communication channels move messages faster and farther. Leaders can’t wait a week to respond.
     
  3. The truth is a moving target.  The “truth” keeps changing and is often dead on arrival.  Decisions are made, announced, and then promptly changed.  People can’t keep up with what’s happening.  Acquisitions are a fast-breaking story.
     
  4. New and different information routes.  The two companies that are joining together commonly have different ways of communicating—different styles, different vocabularies.  This often leads to confusion and misunderstanding.  Information often has to travel further, following new and different routes.  That takes time—sometimes more time than management can afford.
     
  5. Confusion over whom to include.  It may be unclear exactly who needs to be included in the information loop.  It’s easy for messages to get lost or miss key people.
     
  6. Skepticism and lack of trust ...

Related Articles