4 ms·

I take it you’ve never dealt with conflicting cultures post-acquisition. I have and it was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the

I take it you’ve never dealt with conflicting cultures post-acquisition. I have and it was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the parent company’s conventions. At some point you realize that someone is so set in their ways they are affecting the team’s deliverables.

Closi 6y ago
> It was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the parent company’s conventions This post is a tutorial on how not to handle an acquisition! It's generally a bad sign for an acquisition if staff from the parent company say words like that they are "fighting to impose the parent companies culture and conventions"! It's an acquisition, but companies are made of people, and just because a parent company does something one way doesn't mean that it will fit the company they have acquired. Take the acquisition of Disney & Pixar. Steve Jobs stated that he wouldn't sign up to the acquisition if it meant that Disney culture would be imposed, because “Disney’s culture [would] destroy Pixar and distraction will kill Pixar's creativity". The whole structure of how the acquisition was planned was to ensure that Pixar maintained creative control and autonomy, and wasn't bulldozed by Disney Corporate. I've lived through an acquisition too - the real factor to success is to listen and learn from each other, and build a shared way of working. Unless you are buying a failing company, you have to appreciate that they are doing something right and know their own company more than you do. And if it means you use tabs and they use spaces, that's fine.
- 1123581321 6y ago
  More common is the situation where neither company has that perceptive of leadership or a culture worth fighting for. Just disagreements and conflicts.

4 ms·

I take it you’ve never dealt with conflicting cultures post-acquisition. I have and it was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the

by schoolornot 6y ago

Closi 6y ago
> It was extremely frustrating fighting with people to follow and respect the parent company’s conventions This post is a tutorial on how not to handle an acquisition! It's generally a bad sign for an acquisition if staff from the parent company say words like that they are "fighting to impose the parent companies culture and conventions"! It's an acquisition, but companies are made of people, and just because a parent company does something one way doesn't mean that it will fit the company they have acquired. Take the acquisition of Disney & Pixar. Steve Jobs stated that he wouldn't sign up to the acquisition if it meant that Disney culture would be imposed, because “Disney’s culture [would] destroy Pixar and distraction will kill Pixar's creativity". The whole structure of how the acquisition was planned was to ensure that Pixar maintained creative control and autonomy, and wasn't bulldozed by Disney Corporate. I've lived through an acquisition too - the real factor to success is to listen and learn from each other, and build a shared way of working. Unless you are buying a failing company, you have to appreciate that they are doing something right and know their own company more than you do. And if it means you use tabs and they use spaces, that's fine.
- 1123581321 6y ago
  More common is the situation where neither company has that perceptive of leadership or a culture worth fighting for. Just disagreements and conflicts.