Businesses and nonprofit organizations have recently undergone many mergers, consolidations, and buyouts. All of these raise questions about culture and how the transition to the new configuration will be managed.
It’s important in the early stages to define the intended outcome. Is entity A absorbing entity B, and the smaller entity is expected to adopt the procedures and processes of the buyer? This happens when a big bank buys a smaller branch, and the identity of the small bank disappears.
Or, are A and B combining to create a new option C, with a new structure and name? This happened when a neighboring school district realigned its facilities and merged two high schools into one new United High.
Whether it involves a multi-million-dollar conglomerate or a few small departments in the same organization, clarifying the goal is essential. The alignment won’t be easy, but proactively orchestrating the transition is much better than the consequences of ongoing misalignment.
