JOINING FORCES Making One Plus One Equal Three in Mergers, Acquisitions, and Alliances

If 75% of all mergers fail, what makes the 25% succeed?

Mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances are all the rage in today's business world. We have seen and will continue to see in the coming years major shifts in computers, electronics, banking/financial services, healthcare, and telecommunications. Large corporations as well as small, entrepreneurial companies are discovering significant strategic advantage when they merge or align business processes. Joining Forces is a guide to making these combinations successful.

From pre-merger planning to post-merger alignment, Mitchell Marks covers the three key components of a successful transition: hardware (organizational structure), software (policies and processes), and people.

MITCHELL LEE MARKS is an independent consultant, author of From Turmoil to Triumph, and coauthor of Managing the Merger. Previously, he was Senior Director at Delta Consulting Group and national chair of the Human Resources practice group at William M. Mercer, Inc. He lives in San Francisco, California. PHILIP H. MIRVIS is an organizational researcher and consultant who has worked with Unisys, U.S. Steel, Chemical Bank, and many other clients around the world. He has published widely for professional and academic audiences and is coauthor of Managing the Merger.