Five Key Steps to Integration Success

When it comes to the completion of a merger or acquisition, whether you view the glass as half full or half empty will likely depend on your planned approach to integration. After all, there’s no shortage of statistics on the failure rate of mergers and acquisitions due to post-deal integration issues. And it’s easy to see why. The challenge of integrating the people, processes and technology of two organizations into one is a daunting exercise whose success depends on a variety of factors, many of which can be subtle, yet complex.

Still, such challenges are not deterring bankers from the pursuit. Through November of 2015, there were 306 M&A banking deals. With the December numbers not yet available, we would expect the total for 2015 to be about the same as the total for 2014. And, according to recent KPMG community banking survey, nearly two-thirds of the 100 bank executives surveyed anticipate being involved in a merger or acquisition as either buyer or seller during the next year. Moreover, one out of three of those community bank executives foresee integrating information technology systems as the most difficult integration challenge, followed closely by talent management.

While such challenges are undeniable, directors must play a key role in helping management achieve positive results. These five key steps can help directors guide management in driving a successful integration.

Step 1: Set the Tone at the Top
Prior to signing the deal, establish a set of goals that cascade a vision of the deal into high-level, practical operating objectives for the combined organization. Directors should review and provide input in these operating objectives to ensure they align with the bank’s overall strategy, risk appetite and the strategic rationale for the deal. With a strong set of operating objectives in place, executives can develop guiding principles which clearly define the key fundamentals that stakeholders should follow as they begin the planning phase of the integration.

Step 2: Assess the Integration Plan and Roadmap
An integration plan and roadmap needs to be established early in the deal lifecycle. Anchor the plan with a well-understood methodology and a clear, high-level and continuously monitored timeline that identifies key activities and milestones throughout the course of the integration. Develop an integration playbook that details the governance structure, scope of the work streams and activities in addition to well defined roles and responsibilities. Directors must fully understand the integration plan so they can provide valuable feedback, effectively challenge timelines, and have the requisite knowledge to determine if there is a prudent methodology for each phase of the integration. Key disclosures about the transaction should be reviewed to ensure communications to regulators and shareholders set realistic expectations for closing the deal, converting customers, and capturing synergies.

Step 3: Effectively Challenge and Monitor Synergy Targets
Operating cost and revenue efficiencies are identified as part of the deal model, factored into the valuation, and play a critical role in determining the potential success of a merger. Executive management should establish synergy targets at the line-of-business level to promote accountability. Directors should foster effective challenge of expected synergies and provide oversight of the process for establishing the baseline and tracking performance against targets over the course of the integration.

Step 4: Promote Senior Leadership Involvement and Strong Governance Oversight
The program structure and governance oversight is established during the initial planning phase to control the integration program and drive effective decision making. Executive management should identify an “integration leadership team’’ with sufficient decision-making authority and a combination of merger and operating experience to effectively identify risks, resolve issues and integrate the business. Directors should examine the team’s experience, track progress against goals, and closely monitor key risks to assess management’s ability to execute the integration activities.

Step 5: Evaluate Customer and Employee Impacts and Communication Plans
The objective of customer and employee experience programs is to take a proactive approach to help ensure that significant impacts are identified, analyzed and managed with the goal of minimizing attrition. Integrated and effective communication plans are established to address concerns of customer and employee groups to reduce uncertainty, rumors and resistance to change. Directors should scrutinize customer and employee impacts in an attempt to ensure management has an effective mitigation plan for negative impacts through communication, training and target operating model design. Planning for employee retention should include the identification of critical talent to mitigate risks to the integration while ensuring business continuity.

By taking these five steps, directors can provide management with the guidance and support needed for a successful integration.