Leading Through Acquisition: Culture, Skills, and Structure Matter

Editor's note: Posts published on From the Workplace are written by outside contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of SHRM.

Mergers and acquisitions are often framed as strategic wins on paper — new technology, new markets, new talent. But the reality after the deal closes is more complicated.

Most acquisitions fail to deliver their intended value. Estimates suggest that as many as 70%-75% fall short of expectations, often due to integration breakdowns rather than flaws in the deal itself.

In my experience as a people leader, those breakdowns come down to one thing: Organizations focus on what they are acquiring, the product, platform, or revenue, and not enough on why it worked in the first place. The why lives in the culture, the operating model, the skills inside the organization, and the way people actually get work done.

A Mindset for Modern Mergers

In the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid workforce transformation, leading through acquisition requires a different mindset that focuses on integrating people and skills strategies, alongside operational and technical integration.

One of the most common mistakes companies make during an acquisition is assuming that success can be replicated simply by plugging the acquired assets and people into the existing organization.

But great products don't emerge in a vacuum. Great products are built by great people, the decisions they make, the way teams collaborate to innovate and build, and the cultural components that foster innovation. When leaders fail to understand the system, an acquisition can be disruptive rather than additive, and integration can feel very painful for everyone.

Earlier in my career, I saw integrations where the focus was almost entirely on the product roadmap and technical alignment, with little care or consideration for the company’s culture and operating models. It’s important to understand how that team moved quickly, why they were able to innovate, and what motivated them to stay and grow within an organization. What conditions led to their success?

So how do we get ahead of this? People leaders need to be involved in acquisition conversations much earlier. Not after the deal closes, but while decisions are still being made. An acquisition or merger works best when culture, structure, and talent strategy are part of due diligence, not an afterthought.

Merging Starts with Listening, Not Imposing

Another misconception about acquisitions is that success comes from moving quickly to integrate and harmonize processes, reporting lines, tools, and culture.

In reality, the opposite is often true. Each company that becomes an acquisition target has been successful for a reason. They have their own ways of working, their own values, and their own rhythms. If you replace all of that overnight, you’re far more likely to create resistance than alignment and perhaps even inject chaos.

The most effective integrations I’ve been part of start with listening. We ask questions like:

• "What makes this organization work today?"
• “What do employees here value most?”
• “Where are our cultures aligned, and where are they different?”
• “What should stay the same, even after the merger?”

The goal isn’t to force one company’s culture onto another. It’s to build a shared future that respects what made both organizations successful. I often compare this stage to the early phase of a relationship. You don’t build trust with a partner by trying to change everything about them; you build it by understanding each other first and then building your future together.

Patience pays off. When employees feel that their identity and ways of working are respected, they are far more willing to adapt where it matters.

Skills Intelligence Streamlines Integration

What makes acquisitions even more complex today is the speed at which work itself has changed. AI, automation, and new business models are forcing organizations to rethink how they’re structured and what skills they need to succeed. In 2025, nearly half of HR leaders said the demand for new skills was evolving faster than their current talent structures could support.

Mergers and acquisitions are no longer about combining org charts. Leaders need to understand the skills across both companies and how they align with future business goals. Skills intelligence is essential. When you have visibility into what people can actually do, you can approach integration much more flexibly. Instead of assuming roles should stay the same, you can use skills data to match the right people to new initiatives and priorities that emerge from the acquisition.

In many cases, we’re seeing structures become flatter, more fluid, and more project-based as the work itself changes. Skills intelligence is the shared language that enables that fluidity.

The Role of the People Leader in an Acquisition

The role of a people leader during an acquisition isn’t just to onboard employees or manage communication. A key role they should play is to help decision-makers in the acquiring organization understand what made the company successful and to empower that success to continue in a new environment.

Acquisitions will always involve risk. But when organizations focus on the why — the people, culture, and skills behind performance — they give themselves a much better chance of unlocking long-term deal value and overall integration success.

Submit Your Article

Lauren Tropeano is the chief people officer at Docebo.