Chapter NineSetting the Organization Cures Many Ills

Nothing much happens during merger integration until the organization is set.

Jeff Hemmer, vice president, pipelines, Lyondell Chemicals LP

Robert Half International conducts a periodic survey to determine the top concern of senior executives in the nation's thousand largest companies. The perennial winner should come as no surprise: by an almost two-to-one margin, the number one fear is “loss of job due to a merger or acquisition.”

This fear is not irrational, nor is it based on a misperception. On the contrary, an overwhelming body of anecdotal evidence and common experience indicates that few organizations both understand and apply effective processes for structuring and staffing during ...

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