The bio-pharma mega-mergers that grabbed headlines last year - Roche + Genentech, Pfizer + Wyeth, and Merck + Schering-Plough - are now in the critical post-integration period and the acquiring companies are finding out how well they planned and executed their integration plans.
It is too early for final verdicts, but clearly one M&A issue that continues to create problems for the industry is integration of corporate cultures. Experienced integration leaders develop specific processes and approaches to assess the culture of M&A targets and then continuously assess and monitor to ensure the cultures integrate along with operations.
A recent Best Practices, LLC study found that while corporate culture was rated as a highly important risk-assessment factor for a successful integration, cultural assessments were rated as a less effective pre-integration planning activity due to accuracy.
Understanding and managing cultural issues is just one of the topics addressed in the 107-page report entitled M&A Integration Excellence: What Bio-Pharma Companies Need to Know (http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr1003.htm).
This report utilizes a litany of benchmark metrics and executive insights gathered from industry surveys and interviews with bio-pharma executives to assess current trends and future directions of activity. The study featured participation from 26 organizations, including such influential companies as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and Abbott.
Key topic areas in the research include:
- Structure for Integration
- Pre-Integration Planning Activities
- Integration Risk Management
- Integration Functional Excellence
- Communications Excellence
- Understanding & Managing Cultural Issues
- Post-Deal Closure Integration Activities
- Trends in M&A Integration
The pace of merger and acquisition activity in the bio-pharma sector remains steady as organizations continue to seek external opportunities to grow their pipelines. This data-rich report addresses key M&A issues and identifies proven practices and key success factors in the M&A integration process among pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Key questions this study addresses include:
- What are the keys to successful M&A integration planning?
- What structure, processes and best practices lead to M&A integration excellence?
- What are the key risk factors to assess and manage in the M&A integration process?
- How is success of the M&A integration function best measured and represented?
- What are the critical success factors and pitfalls in the integration process?
To download a complimentary study excerpt, or to view a sample of key topics and study findings, go to: http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr1003.htm.