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What: "M&A Integration: Fast or Slow? Who: Jessica Kosmowski, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP Larry Montan, director, Deloitte Consulting LLP Iain Bamford, senior manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP Frances Yu, senior manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP When: Available immediately Where: www.deloitte.com/us/maintegrationdebate Details: Integrating separate entities is vital to a successful merger and acquisition. Since an integration plan usually identifies the desired end state early on, why delay the process of getting there? In practice, determining the best pace for integration is not that simple, particularly when it comes to managing customers through the integration maze. When is faster better? When does patience pay off? "Every integration process has unique requirements, but in most cases, parties inside and outside the new organization benefit more from a speedy marriage," said Kosmowski. "Most important are the measurable benefits that the parties sought when they initiated the new relationship -- whether expressed in terms of economies of scale and the resulting cost reductions, market growth, a simple intellectual property play or whatever other factors made the combination a good idea in the first place. The sooner those results arrive, the sooner integration becomes accretive." Kosmowski noted that fast, effective M&A integration, however, takes more than simply choosing a pace. "Speed invites error, increases execution risk and often makes mistakes more costly. The key is smart integration and that requires careful planning before the process begins; careful, aggressive execution while under way; and organization-wide discipline." Bamford, Montan and Yu spice up the debate with perspectives from the financial services, technology and healthcare and life sciences sectors, respectively:
SOURCE Deloitte
