Why Mergers Fail

The majority of all merger/acquisitions fail, according to studies by Harvard and the AMA, primarily due to culture and people issues. In interviews, hundreds of executives with extensive acquisition experience in the United States, Canada, Europe and South America, relate that companies they have absorbed are often disappointing in “what they bring to the table;” ended up costing much more than expected, after all the real expenses were added in; took twice as long to integrate than planned;” and were in much worse shape than the acquiring company was led to believe.

The integration process does not have to lead to certain failure. We examine “lessons learned” and “best practices” from real world situations and help executives design concrete action plans to move their organization through  merger integrations that fully meet their strategic expectations.

John C. Bruckman Ph.D.