IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies & family owned businesses.  The following blog article has been provided by Dave Nave & Paul Osborn of Balanced Hoshin (www.balancedhoshin.com):

Cultural Integration Strategies Associated with the Merger of Privately Held Companies

It’s not that people don’t like change, they just don’t like being changed. A McKinsey study reports that successful cultural integration is one the most critical factors in a successful merger or acquisition.

Change in ownership is exhaustingly difficult work. By the time the final papers are signed and the ‘keys’ are turned over, people are mentally and physically drained. However, now is the time when the seeds of success or failure are sown.  Because culture is so important, why drop the ball when it comes to planning and executing the cultural integration process?

Whether directly or inadvertently, many new owners ask their newly acquired workforce to blindly jettison their old culture and adopt new practices and rituals with little or no fuss. Unfortunately that is not a realistic expectation, that’s a dream. Which often turns into a nightmare.

New owners want to put their personal stamp on the company they just bought. Established organizations want to exert their ‘stamp’ on the newly acquired company. These are natural desires. However, the transition can be heavy handed or a more collaborative approach.

One successful case – a merger effort of four insurance companies put together groups to review and identify best practices. At the same time, they provided people with the skills to help cope with change, improve teamwork and develop support networks.

Many private or smaller acquisitions feel they do not have the time or resources to spend on such activities. Here are a few ideas that are easier to implement:

• Extend the due diligence process to include cultural fit
• Create a goal that requires employees to unify their efforts
• Map/compare strategy plans of both organizations on a single wall
• Get an outside specialist involved (HR professional)
• Conduct culture audits before making major changes

Dave Nave with Paul Osborn are the creators of The Balanced Hoshin Adaptive Business Planning System. We help companies that need to get things done to define, communicate, and execute successful business plans. For information visit www.balancedhoshin.com,

or contact Dave Nave at (206) 200-4840 or Paul Osborn at (425) 605-7707

 IBA, the Pacific Northwest’s premier business brokerage firm since 1975, is available as an information resource to the media, business brokerage, and mergers & acquisitions community on subjects relevant to the purchase & sale of privately held companies and family owned businesses.  IBA is recognized as one of the best business brokerage firms in the nation based on its long track record of successfully negotiating “win-win” business sale transactions in environments of full disclosure employing “best practices”.