Organizations of different sizes and sectors are considering M&A growth strategies to remain competitive. However, when assessing potential targets, organizations must look beyond the financial aspects as well as issues of organizational culture to ensure that a merger is successful.
While understanding that corporate culture is important, many organizations today still struggle with determining how best to convert an appreciation for cultural differences into a definitive plan of action.
A formal culture audit conducted as part of M&A due diligence is critical to ensure the organization being acquired will be a good fit.
Key reasons to conduct culture audits While culture audits are important for the M&A due diligence process, you don’t have to be considering a merger to gain value from a cultural assessment. There are a number of key reasons your organization should consider performing a formal culture assessment including:
Four methods can be used to effectively assess a culture, a combination of which should be used to gain a well-rounded perspective and unearth meaningful insights. In M&A transactions, this analysis should be completed within both the acquirer’s and target’s organizations.
Focus groups are generally one-hour professionally and independently facilitated sessions in which employees can share their views on corporate culture, values and norms. These open and personal forums provide opportunities to express perspectives honestly and without judgment. Sessions are used to compare and contrast perspectives. Typically, eight to 10 standard questions are prepared to capture recurring themes. Examples of open-ended questions leveraged for focus groups and one-on-one interviews may include the following:
Reviewing key business documents identifies themes through the use of language, metaphors, corporate stories and success stories. A formal document review includes an analysis of both internally facing messages, such as leadership messages and meeting minutes, and externally facing messages, such as websites and brochures. How are communications used to influence various audiences? Is there an alignment between written messages and the other observable aspects of the culture? What are the kinds of stories included in the company newsletter? What does the CEO communicate? What accomplishments are celebrated? Is there a publication that communicates the corporate vision? Some examples of materials to be evaluated in the document review include the following:
In addition to a formal document review, the culture audit should also evaluate key metrics associated with the organization’s culture. Dr. Tiffany Yates, Grant Thornton senior manager, Organizational Strategy, suggested that the analysis should also include evaluation of employee engagement scores, culture surveys and other culture-related measurement.
“Some larger organizations are fine tuning their culture alignment by aggregating existing data with more nuanced data,” Yates explained. “It’s important to conduct a longitudinal study so that the measurement is not just a one-time event but includes a full aggregation of the data. You’ll be able to see over the course of years any trends or patterns related to your organization’s culture.”
Whittle agreed that collecting data over a period of time will help organizations determine whether their culture is being sustained or going stale. “Is the culture continuing to grow and permeate through the organization without formal initiatives in play?” she suggested. “You can’t discount the importance of gathering data. It’s one of those things that organizations need to pay attention to, including aggregating data over years and including measurements such as results of employee exit interviews.”
She added that it’s important that organizations track the reasons that employees are leaving because many times the cause is tied to culture.
A cultural dynamics survey provides a quantitative assessment of the organizational culture, which can be charted visually and provide a snapshot of the current culture. The survey provides an opportunity to anonymously source opinions from a wide range of individuals. The data can be broken down to identify subcultures through the use of custom demographic questions. Key cultural dimensions addressed in the survey include:
, Human Capital partner at Grant Thornton Brasil, adds that in Brazil the company uses Richard Barrett's methodology of Organizational Culture Mapping for its clients. "It is the most complete culture diagnostic tool available on the market, it can be customized for any organization and it allows to obtain detailed indicators regarding the organizational culture".
Observation and shadowing is used to validate the information gathered from the focus groups, interviews and surveys. It serves as an opportunity to gather information in a natural setting about an organization’s espoused values and beliefs, as well as their actual behaviors. Inquiries and observations on elements of the culture can yield insights into what the culture is like throughout the organization and whether the desired organizational culture is what really happens on the front line. Some key tips for the observation phase of the culture audit include the following:
A combination of these four activities will help to objectively assess the organization’s culture through a variety of lenses and gather a full picture of cultures and subcultures. Key among them are a review around the organization’s people programs to determine whether they are driving the desired behaviors and an analysis of the organization’s strategy to ensure it is driving the desired performance outcomes.
The combination of these four activities helps to objectively look at the organizations through a variety of different lenses and gather a full picture of cultures and subcultures. By consistently tying the culture assessment data points to a culture web we are able to identify behavioral, physical and symbolic manifestations of culture, which provide a meaningful framework for understanding the most influential aspects of the target’s and the acquirer’s culture. We are then able to bring out the cultural dynamics of each organization, the areas of commonality and potential friction points. Further, employees feel engaged in the integration process.
Once all four phases of the culture audit are complete, it’s critical to carefully evaluate the results and identify any red flags. Whittle suggested one clear flag is mixed messages from the leadership team. “During the due diligence process, you usually have access to two leaders because they are in the know and because the sensitivity of the due diligence precludes access to middle management,” she explained. “If it feels like you’re talking to people who don’t even work for the same company, you know there are culture issues because there should be some consistency based on values, visions and beliefs.”
Yates suggested there are some tactical red flags to be on the lookout for as well. “If it takes a long time to onboard a new employee or find talent to fill a position, the organization might have a culture problem,” she said. “High turnover could also be an indicator of subcultures which could contribute to a misaligned culture.”
Other red flags include ideas that never get executed within the organization, tone at the top which is not aligned and distinct differences between stated values and demonstrated behaviors. “When decision making is really hard or takes too long, then the culture is probably broken in some way because the norms of behavior around decision making haven’t matured,” Yates added.
, comments that in an organization the main alert happens when it is noticed that the leaders' discourse is out of step with their behavior. "I always tell leaders that their actions must confirm their words, that is, act according to their rhetoric".
Five guidelines for effective culture auditsAn organization’s culture, by itself, may not break a deal but it can play a significant role in the integration process post-transaction. To ensure that you gather the information you need during the due diligence process to effectively evaluate an organization’s culture, keep these five tips in mind:
Whether you’re looking to engage in a strategic business transformation, ensure the sustainability of your defined culture or evaluate the culture fit for a merger or acquisition, culture audits provide stakeholders with the information and confidence they need to make important business decisions.
“The mapping of the organizational culture in M&A processes allows to tangibilize how much energy may be being wasted in the organization (cultural entropy), which directly reflects on the employees' engagement and on the financial result”, says Loyola.
You can count on the expertise of the Human Capital team at Grant Thornton Brasil.
Grant Thornton uses cookies to monitor the performance of this website and improve user experience
To find out more about cookies, what they are and how we use them, please see our privacy notice, which also provides information on how to delete cookies from your hard drive.
Do you want to know how we can assist in the cultural assessment of your business to achieve a successful M&A process?