Interviews with senior executives and an examination of leading research on post-merger integration reveal that successful organizational integration requires:

• execution of design fundamentals;
• senior corporate executive leadership;
• a framework of guiding principles;
• a formal merger management structure;
• a careful merger management process; and
• well-planned long-range activities.

Merger profiles from Baxter International, Chase Manhattan, Kraft Foods, and SmithKline Beecham provide examples of what works.