Have you noticed more and more companies unite lately to the demise of one side? No wonder workers want more from merges.
Unfortunately though, not all amalgamations survive the stifling challenges that follow new partnerships. Merges make people and profits hit the dust when they fail to harness capital from either side.
What If Mergers Melded Minds?
1). What if merges cultivated curiosity about the other side?
People often fear mergers and for good reason. Workers fear losing cooperation they’ve cultivated. Leaders fear compromise and gridlocks that robs progress. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Successful unions cultivate curiosity for shared value. Wins follow for all when differences triumph. High-performing unions start with lessons learned oposing views.
2).What if merges used mutual mentoring?
Recently, a young leader contacted the MITA Center for help with a failed merger. This man tried to transport an enviable culture from a top food chain, into a new city setting with unfamiliar staff. It didn’t work.
Through mindguides – or mutual mentors – mergers cross pollenate brilliant ideas. In contrast, when leaders miss key differences among people – they also miss an opportunitiy for combined efforts.
When leaders ignore cultural differences they do so at their own peril, as this man did. Still others miss mining diverse intellectual proclivities that could lead to peak performances from many sides of mergers.
3).What if merges facilitated mental makeovers for both sides?
Below are brainpowered questions to the 5-way Mita test for genius results:
a. How could cultural differences create an improved vision?
b. Where will all departments intersect to design visible benefits?
c. What exact dividends do people expect from united cultures?
d. What intelligences will inspire novelty and creativity?
e. How will both sides add and receive sustainable value in the merger?
Address these key issues with an action plan for each and watch your merger profit in response.
How do you combine differences into successful mergers? You’ll know that opposing sides merge together well, for instance, when most workers speak and feel heard at work.
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Wow – Dr Ray – you have made a key point here, and one that often gets ignored! Thanks for weighing in.
So often we see all the right words – and even see blogs on the topic of valuing diversity. In practice and in reality we see far fewer skills to make that happen as a lived experience.
Thanks for the way you link this concept to innovation — which is more about doing than about merely saying:-)
Self-awareness is a keen place to start I agree because when we are aware of how we include or subtly exclude we are ready to engage differences with mutual dividends.
I agree here AND this is another reason why the need for more “self-awareness” is urgent. Leadership as “control over” others is a dinosaur. We live in a diverse world that can benefit from diverse ideas. In order for this to happen we need leadership that is secure enough to allow others to express their ideas and insights…after all, isn’t this what true innovation is? New ideas and ways of doing things?