Insights
Integrating IT after A Merger: Best Practices
Posted June 10, 2015 in Articles
After a merger, expectations can be high. The pressure is often on Chief Information Officers and their Information Technology teams to start delivering value right away.
At Mithras Investments, our consulting professionals are prepared to assist you with new, effective philosophies that make your current or upcoming merger a revolution in success, progress and profit.
1. Check Tasks Against Objectives
Naturally, the big picture visions are well defined before the acquisition, but when it comes time to merge, IT teams sometimes get lost in the trees. That’s because IT has a lot to do during a merger.
The practicalities are front and center. Are you optimizing synergistic possibilities and eliminating dead wood within your division? It’s a huge undertaking, but it’s not the only one on your plate. You’re responsible for supporting the technology needs of other divisions, which are also merging. Finally, it’s vital to keep business running smoothly. Your clients aren’t interested in excuses like, “We’re under construction.”
Every task you develop must not only align with these objectives, but wholly support them. Timing and vision are critical to this philosophy, but by ensuring this aligned support, every team member and every action becomes part of a smooth transition that improves every aspect of business.
2. Integrate, Don’t Replace
Sometimes, when something isn’t broken, there’s no need to fix it. It’s easy to apply this idea to mergers, especially when you’re working with a tuck-in acquisition, but it negates why you acquire a business. Simply swallowing up a division is not the path to a successful merger.
This goes beyond a basic gap-fit analysis. Consider how you can truly get the most out of everything from process to people. The pressure to deliver may be high right now, but patient diligence is your best friend in the early days of a merger. Allow an authentic integration to drive future value.
3. Prioritize Results Not Departments
Your IT teams are probably stretched thin during a merger with everyone working as systematically as possible. As a culture of integration develops, further the approach across departments.
Demands for people, hardware, software, compliance and a million other things are happening at all levels of business. By prioritizing results — a platform set up, a service launched, a financial goal hit — leaders are able to direct a wave of accomplishments that include key personnel across the business.
This holistic approach keeps systems in place, goals getting checked off and creates a ripple effect of morale and teamwork during a time when everyone can feel a little frazzled.
4. Integrate for Urgency Over Speed
Along the same lines as the old adage that efficiency doesn’t always equal effectiveness, urgency is more important than speed during a merger. Speed matters in some initiatives, particularly when your goals rely on being first to market or other innovations, but urgency determines how to use your resources wisely. For example, you might be able to push your team to release a new application, but a sudden regulatory matter is more urgent. Staying nimble through these sorts of decisions — and the entire merger — is the key to success.
For customized philosophies and road maps, contact the consulting professionals at Mithras Investments.
