Session Focus:  M&A Change Management strategies to overcome challenges

During mergers and acquisitions, change is inevitable and often difficult for employees. This interactive session explored proven strategies for HR to effectively navigate the people challenges of M&A integration.

Key Takeaways:

1. Develop personalized change management plans for different employee groups based on how they will experience the change. As one participant stated: "Every group had an individualized plan because they were going to experience things differently than maybe some of their peer groups."

2. Create opportunities for two-way communication where employees can ask questions and leaders can share what they know, even if they don't have all the answers yet. Formats like "cookies with leaders" listening sessions help provide clarity.

3. Involve leaders and managers early in the change process. Provide them training on how to communicate with and support their teams, and treat them as essential partners in the change effort.

The session covered research highlighting the importance of employee involvement in decision-making to drive engagement during M&A transitions. Participants shared real-world examples like:

- Conducting pre-merger culture assessments to identify key aspects to preserve
- Using cohort-based onboarding programs and branded swag to build connections
- Empowering front-line managers to address employee questions and concerns

Leveraging M&A situations to get budget for initiatives like improved onboarding that may have been difficult pre-merger was also discussed. Overall, the session provided a playbook of tactics to support employees and successfully integrate cultures.