5 M&A Takeaways from Harvard

In today’s episode, Dr. Ivan Zak shares his experience from a Harvard University course about assessing mergers and acquisitions. We begin the episode by talking about the importance of knowing what your capabilities are and who can most benefit from them.
Expanding on this topic, we share vital insight on pinpointing your core values, what kind of culture is already present in your business, and how you can align the two.

Topics discussed:

• First thoughts on Harvard University’s mergers and acquisitions course;
• Why the consolidation process needs to cover aspects of synergy;
• The importance of knowing what your capabilities are and who needs them;
• Links between synergy and cultural integration in a company;
• Comparison of the business cultures at IBM and Lenovo;
• How alignment and decision-making between executive teams should look;
• Proper preparation of data before entering the consolidation process;

Helpful links:

• Lean Six Sigma for Hospitals by Jay Arthu
• Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath