How Your Culture Can Survive an Acquisition

Can your company survive an acquisition?

Your company’s culture is the set of attitudes and values that binds your team and pushes you forward; there is nothing more important in defining who you are as a company, and what your company ultimately stands for. That’s why, when you merge your company with another, it’s so important to think about what that culture is and how it can be preserved, even as it blends with another.

Sadly, this is one component of mergers and acquisitions that often gets overlooked. I’ve seen it a million times. Executives, accountants, and attorneys are all burning the midnight oil, trying to pull together an agreeable deal before a deadline comes — and as they do so, they forget all about the less-tangible components of culture and team dynamics.

Thinking About Culture in the Face of a Merger

When you forget about culture, though, you run a major risk of disenfranchisement — among your team members and perhaps among your customers, too. Here are a few recommendations I’d make for avoiding that. In order to survive an acquisition we need to:

• Make communication a priority. Know what your culture is, and what values unite your team. Convey that culture to all new employees you bring into the fold. Also keep the…