Mergers & Acquisitions Post #5 – Integration: From Lessons to Action
Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared four key lessons from real-world M&A work:
- Success depends on process — not just the deal
- Hidden challenges matter more than leaders admit
- Process alignment takes longer than expected
- Fix processes, not culture
These lessons come from my 28 years at Nokia, where I worked through three integrations over 12 years. What I learned is that the biggest bottleneck in M&A isn’t legal, systems, or even culture. It’s about systematic leadership and maintaining momentum.
With integration work the decision authority is usually clear — the challenge is implementation. Agreements stall when they don’t translate into action. It’s less about who decides and more about what is decided at the top, and how that filters down. Decisions often lose clarity on the way through the organisation, creating hesitation and misalignment.
The point that is often not discussed. Ego is a hidden but powerful factor. It’s rarely one-sided. Each side brings pride in its own way of working, and collective and personal egos quietly block progress. That’s why the human touch on the ground is essential: listening, building trust, and helping people move from fixed positions to shared outcomes.
This is where the synergy of integration experience and leadership coaching makes a real difference. Practical knowledge of how integrations actually unfold, combined with coaching that develops self-awareness and decision discipline, helps resolve bottlenecks that processes alone can’t fix.
When governance for desired outcomes is designed early and lived in daily practice, everything else follows:
- People act on clear approvals
- Conflicts are resolved quickly
- Resources flow to the right priorities
- Timelines become realistic
Culture adapts to leadership and agreements — not the other way around.
The takeaway: integration is a unique system of implementation, not slogans. Without clarity and discipline, even the best plan wastes years. Moving forward, you shorten timelines, avoid duplication, and realise the deal’s value sooner.
If this resonates, let’s talk. I help leaders design integrations that work in practice — not just on paper. Just fill in the contact request in the footer.