Strategic M&A:
Creating Tools and Capabilities for Successful Integration

Serial acquirers—companies that pursue planned, continual growth through M&As—are building new capabilities and tools to support their integration processes, according to this survey-based report that includes case studies from Dow Chemical and Xerox. Companies are tailoring their practices to fit their strategic intent, the size of the target acquisition, and the degree of the acquired company’s industrial or geographic similarity. Quantitative tools used during the earliest phases of the acquisition process are more likely to have a beneficial impact than qualitative ones. Culture, IT systems, and management teams pose the greatest challenges.