4 May 2018
How to win at M&A
Culture and human capital are often ignored in M&A — high performers capture far more synergies than the business case.
Culture and human capital are often ignored in M&A — high performers capture far more synergies than the business case.
One of the biggest mistakes in M&A is assuming cultures align from mission statements alone. “We’ve got this” and reusing a prior playbook are common red flags.
Half to two-thirds of M&A transactions fail. Culture and human capital are often ignored; more than half of deals that do not manage culture miss synergy targets.
About six of ten successful companies include M&A in their growth strategies and outperform lagging competitors. High performers capture 30–100%+ more synergies than the business case and enhance revenue and capital productivity, not only cost cuts.
Large deals need caution and transformation, often over three to five years. A programmatic approach pays off. Integration is now faster with pre-close planning, culture diagnosed quantitatively, and playbooks tailored per deal type.