Following are the four (4) greatest risk factors along with the corresponding questions for leaders and managers to apply on the road to success. This list has proven useful and helps clients and organizations focus on mitigating risk.
Poor or inadequate communications
- What is/was the catalyst for the merger/acquisition? Now compare that answer to what those who will be most impacted believe the catalyst to be. Any discrepancies or conflict?
- What is your communication strategy, who was involved in development, and who will lead it?
- How do/will you know you are being heard, and who is listening?
A lack of transparency and inadequately preparing for the inclusion and retention of core competencies and staffing
- How transparent do you really want to be? Differing stakeholder groups will need varying details and information. What is your plan?
- Are there any changes/modifications to the organizational mission?
- What core competencies will you need on board to achieve strategic outcomes?
- Do the people you are keeping/adding/removing possess the core competencies you will need?
- What metrics do you have in place to assess/determine when core competencies are not covered?
- What is the plan to address dislocated workers (if there will be downsizing)? Does a reduction-in-force strategy exist? Are supervisors trained on it? Here is one as a guide: Reduction-in-Force: Best Practices for Managers and Employees.
Not incorporating and building upon the branding, marketing and sales efforts
- What are the distinct aspects of each of the separate organizational brands that must be maintained or advanced?
- Have you assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the marketing and sales strategies and determined which tactics you will apply in merging / separating these?
- Who is better—can you be as objective as you need to when completing overlapping or eliminating one or the other marketing strategies?
- Who is minding the customer and his needs? Are measures in place to conceal the dirty laundry and ensure the customer does not experience negative effects?
Having two distinct cultures and service standards and not taking time to balance and merge the two (keep the best of both and lose the worst of both)
- What is the culture (personality, attitude, character) of each of the affected companies/organizations and how do you know this to be the case?
- What are the standards for service within each organization? Do they matter, how were they established, and what is necessary to merge these?
- What "unwritten" policies and processes need to be molded in/out? Shape the organizational culture early. Who is charged to focus on the culture?
Leadership Is Responsible for the Results and Should Be Strategic About It.
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