Purpose and benefits

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are increasing in frequency, yet at least half fail to meet financial expectations.
The United States and the United Kingdom continue to dominate M&A activity. As the number of cross-border deals increases, however, many other national players are entering the field, further highlighting the issue of cultural compatibility.
Financial and strategic factors alone are insufficient to explain the high rate of failure; more account needs to be taken of human factors.
The successful management of integrating people and their organisational cultures is the key to achieving desired M&A outcomes.