People-Focused Integration

Marilyne H. O'Hara, Global Head of M&A Integration at Block (NYSE: SQ) This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom.  To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don’t forget to use code “podcast” at checkout.  Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net  FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://firmroom.com  If you’re a head of corporate development and looking to build up a world-class M&A team, reach out to me at kison@mascience.com EPISODE TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 05:20 What is People-Focused Integration 06:02 Ideal Integration Process 08:46 Strong Partnerships With Deal Leads 12:25 Consequences of Late Integration 14:53 Building the Integration Team 20:41 Involving the Integration Team 22:29 Integration Led Diligence 24:07 Building an Agile Team 28:30 Understanding Culture 30:49 Culture Shaping Integration 31:44 Red Flags in Culture Fit 32:46 Best Practices When Onboarding People  39:06 Working with Vendors for People-Focused Integration 40:12 Biggest Challenge 40:36 Advice for First Timer 41:23 Craziest thing in M&A