The M&A Solution: A Values-Based Approach to Integrate Companies

AT LEAST 75% OF ALL MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS FAIL. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. Don Scales has been in the professional services business for more than three decades. During that time, he has been involved in more than forty M&A deals, on both the buyer and seller side. He has learned firsthand what works and what doesn’t, and has long thought about writing a book to share his knowledge with others. The M&A Solution: A Values-Based Approach to Integrate Companies is the result of his realization that participants in M&A transactions often fail to focus on one important factor—corporate values. Corporate management teams have known for decades that competing values and culture clashes put more deals at risk than any other single factor. Yet, because values are hard to measure, they are often ignored when due diligence is being done. Don gives the reader the benefit of his experience and knowledge when it comes to analyzing values for fit. By using Don’s methods to focus on corporate values, management teams can mitigate culture-clash risk and increase the odds of succeeding. It’s that simple.

DON SCALES is currently CEO of Investis Digital. He has been part of the professional services world for more than three decades. During that time, he has led over forty merger and acquisition transactions, primarily on the buying side. Don has dual undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and mathematical physics, and a master of science in chemical engineering from Rice University, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is currently pursuing his doctorate with a focus on how corporate values impact the long-term outcomes of mergers and acquisitions, and the need for a standardized Corporate Values Profile to be used during the due diligence phase.