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When two companies merge, the complexities, emotions and
often sweeping changes behind the deal can hinder effective
communication to key stakeholders. Yet, a well planned and
implemented communication strategy contributes to the very
success of the merger itself. How can you overcome the obstacles
to developing and delivering on a merger communication strategy?
There are some tried-and-true approaches to do so, but, first,
what do we mean by “strategy”?
Strategy is the science and the art of using all of the
resources of an organization to execute approved plans as
effectively as possible. You need to be data-driven and logical,
while also being open-minded and creative, to develop a highly
effective communication strategy.
Yet what is the value of strategy without tactics? If you
have a brilliant plan but don’t follow through with it, it’s
meaningless. Likewise, if you focus on tactics without strategy,
you will end up wasting time. Having a strategy saves time and
energy. It ensures that the actions – the tactics – you take are
effective and efficient.
It is vital to develop a detailed, ongoing communication
strategy and tactical plan that includes essential elements,
such as
- Leadership commitment to consistent and ongoing
communication
- Strategic communication partnership
- A focus on face-to-face communication
- Continual monitoring of the employee “pulse”
- Employee ability to ask questions and get answers
- The ability to share issues.
Leadership Commitment
At a time when the senior leaders at organizations
undergoing a merger are tempted to say as little as possible,
quite the opposite is necessary. Leadership needs to be
committed to consistent and ongoing communication throughout the
merger process to explain both what is known and what is not
known. Management visibility and accessibility is key to
building employee understanding and support for the merger.
Executives should be highly visible at regular senior leader
meetings, all employee meetings, group-specific meetings and
through merger features posted on the company’s intranet.
Communication Partnerships
To do a good job communicating a merger, the internal
communication department needs to build solid working
relationships with other groups in the organization, such as
public relations, analyst relations and legal. It can’t be done
in a vacuum. Messages and timing need to be coordinated. The
assumption is that everything said internally is shared
externally, so this makes it difficult to give employees
additional or advanced information. However, building these
communication partnerships paves the way to communicating as
much as possible, when possible, rather than facing
communication paralysis.
Face-to-Face Communication
Much has been said about the importance of face-to-face employee
communication, but nowhere is it as important as when an
organization is undergoing profound change, such as during a
merger. Managers throughout all levels of the organization need
to be prepared to respond to employee questions (even when there
are no answers), whether in group settings or one on one.
Manager briefings, manager communication toolkits and manager
web sites are all useful tools and orient new
teams quickly. It’s vital to build these into the overall merger
communication strategy.
Monitoring the Employee “Pulse”
Having a plan and executing on the plan are not enough. By
continually surveying employees to check for understanding and
monitoring their “pulse,” a merger communication team can
calibrate its strategy and tactics for maximum effectiveness.
Brief, random-sample online surveys do this job well. Sample
questions might include
- How would you describe your current level of support for
the merger?
- How has your level of support for the merger changed
over the past month?
- How has this meeting affected your confidence in the
business value of the merger?
- Because of this event, do you have a better
understanding of the strategic rationale for the merger?
Ability to Ask Questions
Giving employees the opportunity to ask any merger question,
any time, and receive a speedy response builds valuable goodwill
and credibility. One company introduced an “Ask a Merger
Question” and an “Ask an Integration Question” service on its
intranet. Employee questions were
funneled to the appropriate executive or content expert for
responses, which were then posted. In addition, weekly reports
outlining the break-down of questions by category gave the
communication team keen insight into where they should focus
their energies.
Sharing Issues Up the Line
Successful merger communication also involves sharing issues,
when they surface, to the very top. This ensures quick action
before they take on a life of their own. A process for quickly
responding to these issues and making decisions about follow-up
steps needs to be built into the strategy.
If a merger communication strategy is implemented
successfully, the communication function moves from a simple,
two-way model to a continuous cycle. Strategy, brand, culture
and communication are integrated. Benchmarking is established.
Internal communication is integrated into leadership
development, and communication strategy becomes an integral part
of business strategy. |
