How COOs should integrate people after acquisitions

Executive overview

Roll-up acquisitions create org chart complexity and personality conflicts that derail value. Integration fails when companies lead with systems and processes instead of people and culture.

Lead with values, trust, and cultural fit. Eliminate toxic performers early. Migrate the brand gradually over three years so legacy employees don't feel displaced.

Get people to like, trust, and know each other before touching software or processes.

Cultural integration priorities

• Align acquired teams on core values, core purpose, and BHAG before anything else
• Share the Genesis story — why the company exists and what it survived
• Remove cultural cancers and underperformers before they infect the integration
• Prioritise: do we like each other? Do we trust each other?

Brand migration approach

• Year 1: keep the acquired company's brand intact
• Year 2: co-brand equally (e.g. "Dustin Lockman Sales, a division of COO Alliance")
• Year 3: transition to the parent brand
• Avoid alienating legacy employees by changing their identity too fast

Building genuine relationships

• Run off-site leadership retreats; stay in Airbnbs, not hotels
• Informal morning time in shorts and t-shirts builds more trust than structured sessions
• Merge talent across companies before merging systems