The integration process following a cross-border merger is crucial for the success of the merger. Initially, both companies need to assess whether the merger aligns with their current objectives.
What steps should be implemented to make an efficient merger?
The integration after merger is the most critical step in cross-border merger. After cross-border merger, two sides are just combined on the surface. Through the effective integration, cross-border merger can reduce the presence of contradictions and conflicts, improve the synergies, and enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises. Before determining the purpose of Cross-border merger, both companies must have a clear understanding and knowledge, whether they need this kind of merger at this stage.
The Integration
First of all, companies should examine the culture of the target one, identify the cultural differences. Second, they should strengthen the communication with the target company employees and exchanges. Thirdly, through cultural training, they can promote the integration of culture. This initiative involves inviting experts of various ethnic groups and backgrounds to speak about various cultural differences while also emphasizing how everyone is alike in their work goals, ambitions and ethics. Finally, companies should pay attention to the speed of integration.
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Никитина Дарья
Any corporate employee who interfaces with customers must be equipped to explain the impact and benefits of the merger and how a business will continue to operate. This will help to establish a clear and consistent message, and that accurate information is being disseminated. A specific plan must be put in place for communicating proactively and directly with customers. In some cases, it may make sense for management and/or key sales people to make personal visits to key customers. In others, it may be more appropriate to conduct personal or conference calls and/or disseminate a written communication in the form of an email or formal letter. The timing and messaging must be carefully coordinated with all external announcements while the initial communication with customers is clearly the most critical, the process of providing frequent information and updates must continue over time – in some cases for years after the merger has taken place. Integration is not a process that takes place overnight.
The importance of communications in mergers and acquisitions cannot be overstated. From a customer perspective, the way in which a company manages its business relationships during a period of transition can be the difference between preserving and losing relationships. Like employees, every customer will want to know what the merger means for him or her. An employee will wonder, “Will my primary contact change? Will the company continue to offer the same types of products and services? Will I continue to receive what I need on time?” In addition, competitors may use the opportunity to take advantage of the situation, attempting to recruit top talent or take away business.
Ways to resolve, to cope with a problem:
Due to this problem happened conflicts due to fear of changes in all cadres of management and staff, moreover they can face to face with a difficulties in communications and relationships with new customers.
The development of a corporate vision is not as easy as one might think. A merger without a clear and realistic vision may lead to similar negative results in terms of shareholder value as merger based solely on fit-approaches may do. Visions are borne from good ideas, often developed by visionary people in endless meetings and projects. The problem is that many ideas look promising at the first sight, but prove to be useless later on.
Vision as a Key Factor in a cross-border merger processes
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Юлия Чемисова
to create a new corporate culture that has absorbed the best and involve employees of both merging companies in its formation
team building activities and events
courses of culture and traditions of countries
working visits and trips for top managers in the company to each other to study the management style before the merger
special language courses for employees
All of these points come into play; the new management structure can risk being perceived as aggressive, untrustworthy, casual, secretive or worse.
Сarefully analyze the differences in the following areas: management characteristics ( management style, distribution of responsibility and authority, employee involvement in decision-making); corporate values and traditions; internal communication( style of interaction between employees and management, openness or closeness)
Method of communication
Amount of detail shared
Displays of emotion
Formality
Levels of directness
Non-native English speakers can risk feeling disadvantaged and misunderstandings and frustrations can all too easily occur
Even if both parties share the same language, communication styles and expectations can differ enormously. When there is a mismatch regarding:
working in another language can be stressful, especially in times of uncertainty when important decisions are being made.
English speaking managers often make the mistake of assuming their new colleagues will adapt easily to operating in English
It may sound obvious, but language differences can cause huge misunderstandings and frustrations for organisations integrating two nationalities into one workforce.
Problem: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION STYLES
Which problems are staff face to face by cross-border merger ?
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Яна Скрипник
When communicating with someone who isn't fluent in English, everyone in the organization need to make sure that he adjust English to fit the person who's listening. If people want opponents to be able to comprehend what they say, so they need to make sure that they use words and phrases another nations will understand. This means refraining from using slang, jargon, or buzz words.
Also manager should be sure that stuff is ready to work through the language barrier.
Than manager should Understand different communication styles. Different people from different cultures use different communication styles. You may be the type of person who gets right to the point. However, a colleague may take a more circular approach and take longer to say what needs to be said.
First of all managers should find common targets and inspire stuff. People in one organization should work together for the same goals.
Everyone has cultural baggage and,as a consequence, business which mergers with other overseas businesses can face cultural difficulties.
