Team Coaching During a Merger.

Consulting and Coaching for Transformation Processes

– Making the most of the synergies in a merger of Company A and Company B, aligning both around shared goals, strategy & vision, and establishing an appropriate corporate culture. –

By working through the cultural and personality-based differences within the management team, a shared direction was successfully defined and implemented, built on shared values and a common view of people.

The Starting Situation

Up to this point, Companies A and B had pursued different strategies and corporate cultures. A is a technically oriented sales company offering high-quality solutions. Its products sit at the higher end of the price range, with high margins. B is a leading supplier. Its products are cost-sensitive.
The upcoming merger posed three major challenges:

1. Externally, A & B were to remain separate brands in the eyes of customers, while internally being led as one team with a unified vision, shared goals, and consistent processes.
2. The parent group was changing from a previously decentralized holding company to a centrally managed corporation with a matrix structure.
3. A & B were to live a unified corporate culture in harmony with the group.
   

The Goals in Light of the Transformation

• Taking stock and clarifying roles within the management team (MT), building a shared understanding of leadership, and rounding out leadership competence
• Improving collegial collaboration even when positions differ on substance, fostering open and trusting communication, and establishing jointly supported decision-making that is implemented consistently.
• The MT was to successfully implement the goals of the transformation, credibly live a unified corporate culture in line with the group’s values, establish it throughout the company, and thereby lead by example.

Approach

• Analysis phase: Interviews with all members of the MT to understand each individual’s assessment of the overall situation, identify possible solutions and success factors for a successful integration, clarify expectations, and further sharpen the goals. On this basis, a concept for the next steps was developed in coordination with the client.
• Implementation phase: A series of workshops with the management team, spaced several months apart, to work concretely on the goals. Key priorities were building mutual understanding of the different positions, cultures, and personalities and making them easier to navigate, clarifying roles and responsibilities, clarifying communication and information flows, and agreeing on a shared approach to decision-making. Communication with employees was kept systematically flowing, and early wins were shared on a regular basis. To establish a shared understanding of leadership and to live a jointly supported corporate culture and anchor it in the company, it was essential to work out what unites everyone – such as jointly held values and a common view of people. Consistent follow-through on the step-by-step measures, with clear prioritization, was crucial for successful implementation.
  In parallel with the workshops, the members of the management team received monthly three-hour individual coaching sessions. As part of these sessions, Hogan Assessments were conducted to analyze how each person’s individual strengths and weaknesses aligned with the desired values-based culture, enabling more targeted development work.

Results After About One Year

• A stronger foundation of trust and open communication led to faster decisions that everyone supported and implemented, despite initially differing positions.
• Clear commitment from everyone to the future corporate culture, the jointly held values, the shared understanding of leadership developed together, and the strategic goals.
• Employees reported back to the management team that they perceived a positive change in management and felt engaged thanks to the continuous flow of information and communication. The regular step-by-step successes strengthened employees’ trust.
  
  Personal feedback from the management team: “We trust each other far more and can make decisions much faster instead of debating endlessly. Now we truly work as a team, and it’s genuinely fun. I never would have thought that coaching could help all of us grow so far beyond ourselves. Without the external support, we would never have achieved this level of success in such a short time.”
  
  Further occasions for consulting and coaching in transformation processes:
• Fusions, mergers & acquisitions, carve-outs, culture change
• Far-reaching cost-reduction programs, digital transformation
• Corporate restructuring or significant structural changes, e.g. driven by growth