*There's M&A Trouble Ahead (企业兼并前景堪忧)II

pinksun

Here are the top seven people issues that cause business mergers to fail: 1. Blurred Vision All of a sudden, customers and employees don't know what's what and who's who. Employees want answers to basic business questions. What is the mission of the newly combined organization? Who is in charge here? How does each client, each product and each employee fit into the new mix? Salespeople have lost their 30-second elevator pitch. An employee is tongue-tied over Thanksgiving dinner when grandma asks, "so what does that company of yours do?" As trite as it may sound, this is typically the result of poor and inadequate communication from the highest levels of the organization. The reasons for the merger, and the mission of the combined entity, might be clear to those who made the deal, but you can bet that isn't the case throughout the entire workforce. 2. Internal Myopia If the long-term vision is blurred, members of the organization will, by nature, focus on the here and now. This can lead to an unhealthy overemphasis on internal tactical matters, such as: Which employee benefit plans will we retain? Who gets what office? When are we implementing that new ERP system? How do I request vacation? Where is the new policy handbook? What should we do with all this old letterhead? Not that these issues are unimportant; but they need to be decided before deal closing, as part of an integration-planning phase. After the closing, everyone in the new organization needs to focus on the customers, the competition and the market. 3. Power Struggle As soon as the merger or acquisition is announced, managers in each organization may attempt to consolidate their power. This pursuit can take many forms, but it usually involves staking out turf over customers, employees and budgets. The most debilitating power struggles are those that involve customers. If you hear the refrain that goes something like "These are MY customers and I'll decide who has contact with them," you are in deep trouble. The new organization cannot permit such fiefdom-building. It is highly likely that one of the justifications for the merger involved cross-selling to each entity's customers, so any attempt to control cross-selling will by definition imperil the success of the merger. In a truly merged culture, relationships with customers and employees must belong to the organization, not to any individual or group of individuals.

pinksun

Blur 污点，弄的模糊不清 trite 陈腐的 inadequate 不充分的 Myopia 近视 overemphasis 过分强调 implement 贯彻，执行 integration 综合 focus on 集中 consolidate 巩固 pursuit 追击 staking out 置于警察监视下 debilitate 使衰弱 justification 认为有理，认为正当，理由 fiefdom 封地