Companies involved in mergers and acquisitions need to employ ‘translators’
to ensure culture fit within the organisation.
Nancy Hubbard, associate fellow, Templeton College Oxford, and, told
delegates companies involved in an acquisition should find staff familiar with
both businesses – a translator.
She urged HR to plan pre-acquisition, pick the top team quickly, communicate
and have processes to deal with culture differences. They should also undertake
a culture audit to discover differences between the two companies.
It should ask what people value in the company, its strengths and
weaknesses, and what they would do if they were CEO.
"Most cultural differences arise through ignorance and the only way you
can stop this is through communication," she said.
