A recent interview with Zimbra CEO, Patrick Brandt, and After Nines Content Czar, Joe Panettieri, focused on successful tech M&A strategy. To no surprise, the conversation continually came back to the role of corporate culture. In fact, Patrick made the point that it can often be one of the single most important factors in determining the success of a merger or acquisition.
While it is obvious that technology alignment is crucial, the human factor is sometimes overlooked. The quicker you merge the disparate organizations into one, the easier it is for other parts of integration to move forward, i.e. sales and development. And open communication plays a key role in the unification of two, once distinct organizations.
However, open communication isn’t just beneficial internally, your channel immediately benefits. Partners want to understand how they fit into your long-term strategy, and part of building that mutually beneficial relationship is communication. As Patrick says in the interview, you can’t go quiet for six months and then show up to market with an offering.
Really, the single biggest takeaway, you have to create one brand and one organization. If you do that, your chances of success are improved in M&A and business in general. We hope you like the interview and keep tuning in; we have some exciting stuff on the way.
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