The changing economic and market conditions are pushing insurance executives to reevaluate their businesses and examine areas of growth. As insurers reassess their current product and service lines, they may determine some offerings are performing better than others. They may acknowledge that certain lines may be more valuable separately, or there is room for expansion to bolster a service line.
After completing a reevaluation, executives may consider a merger or acquisition to fill gaps or sell off underperforming blocks of business to remain competitive. Follow the below techniques to execute both mergers and acquisitions (M&A) so you do not lose sight of the smaller details. Keep the following three key elements in mind and your organization will lock in more of the benefits that come from mergers and acquisitions.
Communication
When it comes to mergers and acquisitions, many organizations may be hesitant to share information, even internally, until deals are set in stone. There are some obvious limitations on what can be shared and when, but the best strategy is being proactive and frequent in your communication whenever possible. All leadership and managers should be well-informed and onboard with a detailed plan, as they will be the change agents in driving the transition.
Effective communication during this time is more than just providing status updates on how things are going; communications must be thoughtfully designed based on each audience. Companies must focus on answering the question that is sure to be on every employee’s mind, “How does this affect me?” Keep the channels of communication open and make your employees feel they are part of the change. One strategy may be hosting focus groups or interviewing employees to learn about their concerns and provide a forum to ask questions. Employees will feel they are part of the change and empowered to be change champions if it is evident their organization is listening to feedback and taking action accordingly.
Objectivity
Having multiple stakeholders/perspectives review the deal assumptions may save your company from important details being overlooked in an M&A plan. Before the organization signs on the dotted line, folks from outside the standard deal team should invest time in reviewing documents that will lead the transformation. Intense scrutiny and planning go into the purchase and sale process, however an extra step to minimize potentially overlooked components will pay off in the long run.
Throughout the process, it is important to conduct an impartial assessment of all people, processes, and technology involved while also considering the possibility neither organization may have what is best for the new, combined organization. Be thoughtful in the messaging on why certain processes from one organization are selected to move forward with the merged company. Arbitrarily using the resources of one organization over another will not only set a negative tone for the transition but could also result in the loss of valuable assets.
Integration
Successful integration is about finding synergies and establishing relationships between teams and organizations wherever possible. Work to find each other’s strengths and weaknesses, work through solutions together, and utilize collaboration tools. Establishing relationships allows for teams to work together more effectively, ensures resource retention, and encourages the other organization to go above and beyond to ensure a successful transition.
The increasing trend of merger and acquisitions in the market is coupled with increasing complexity due to rapid technology evolution alongside it. Our insurance practice has extensive experience transitioning clients away from legacy systems and specifically generating integrated program plans and detailed cost estimations for shifting blocks of business amidst M&A. No matter the timeframe or position of maturity converting legacy systems, it’s important to appreciate the complexity of M&A in order to confidently guide your team through the process with an emphasis on communication, objectivity, and integration.
If you want to learn more about our M&A approaches read our case study where in just ten weeks, we delivered current state context diagrams and future state solution designs for each application cluster that led to an overall high-level IT integration plan for “sign to close to TSA completion.”