making-sense-of-change-management

The applications• there is obvious conflict – arguments, refusal to share information,forming coalitions;• one party in the merger is portrayed as ‘stronger’ and the other as‘weaker’.Therefore an examination of existing cultures is normally useful if there iseven a small possibility that cultural issues will get in the way of themerger or acquisition being successful. This is a good exercise to carry outin workshop format with the teams themselves at all levels. The best timeto look at cultural issues is when teams are forming right at the start of theintegration. It breaks the ice for people and allows them to find out a bitabout each other’s history and company culture.TACKLING THE CULTURAL ISSUESThe managers from company A described their culture as:• fairly formal;• courteous and caring;• high standards;• lots of team work;• clear roles.Company B added:• precise;• good reputation.The managers from company B described their culture as:• highly informal;• a bit disorganized;• relationships are important;• customer focused;• fast and fun.Company A added:• flexible roles;• lack of hierarchy.236