Merger Planning and Employee Engagement Advice and Support

During a major organisation-wide transformation, Future Catalyst has offered Merger Planning and Employee Engagement advice and support to Senior Managers during the merger/TUPE of teams from different organisations. The support included a number of facilitated meetings to support the Senior Managers in planning the merger journey, planning of communications and employee engagement activities before and during the merger. After the merger, Future Catalyst also planned and facilitated an interactive group coaching workshops where all managers and employees were encouraged to participate in building a new team culture and future direction, combining the strengths of the merging teams into one cohesive team.

When asked why the Future Catalyst OD Consultant opted for an interactive workshop rather than an induction, they replied:
'Mergers need to be handled with much care and sensitivity. While most organisations perceive a company or team induction as a nice welcome, employees who join the new organisation actually experience it as a total loss of identity as the induction is asking them to adopt the welcoming organisation's culture, practices and processes. It is not perceived as a merger - which should be a melting pot of strengths - but a takeover. Utilising activities which send hidden messages of a takeover rather than a merger, will lead to a unfriendly working environment, silo working, continuous team conflict, poor employee well-being, divided loyalties and disengaged staff.

Opting for an interactive workshop, Future Catalyst provides the two parties with an opportunity to come together as equals, get to know everyone and work together to identify combined team strengths, work on a continuous team building action plan and the future direction of the team/organisation. Employees who attended one of our workshops told us they felt it was a great way to get to know new team members and were excited about continuing to build the team after the workshop.'

To contact Future Catalyst, please visit our website - www.futurecatalyst.net