Integrations can be difficult and perilous. They are characterized by major organizational disruptions, including job shifts, role changes, customer uncertainty, and the collision of often vastly differing cultures. Employee fatigue and burnout,1 combined with organizational misalignment, can derail leaders from unlocking the full potential of the integration and stymie efforts to create a one-company culture. Yet many leaders consider acknowledging the disruptiveness and change brought about in integrations as “soft stuff” that takes a back seat to driving an M&A agenda. The stakes are too high for that approach. Effective communication is critical to the success of any integration, but even leaders who prioritize employee engagement have mixed results: While 80 percent of C-suite leaders believe their messaging is helpful and relevant, only 53 percent of employees agree.2
