How to Balance Culture During an Integration

Mark Rayfield, CEO of Saint-Gobain North America (EPA: SGO) and CertainTeed

Integration is not just about combining processes and systems. It is about bridging cultures and creating a shared identity. However, integrating two organizations can be complex, especially when it comes to managing major cultural differences. 

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, we explore key strategies  for effectively balancing culture during an integration, featuring Mark Rayfield, CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed.

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00:00 Intro

05:50 Culture in M&A

09:59 Acquiring a competitor

11:18 Team Alignment

13:24 Understanding culture

15:45 Difficulties of Culture

16:52 Improving decision-making

18:55 Challenges for smaller companies

20:37 Lessons learned from acquisitions

24:58 Establishing strong communication

27:14 Advice on Integration

31:08 Retaining lessons learned

32:49 Ensuring deal value

34:40 Governance and M&A activities

37:20 Success metrics

38:59 Messaging with key investors

40:20 Non-core acquisitions

41:19 Cultural aspect of non-core acquisition

43:02 Craziest thing in M&A