Business Exposed180
The point of “replication” is not that you do not adapt to local
circumstances, it is that you do not adapt from the outset.
Rather than trying to create local perfection from scratch, rst
be cautious and modest: replicate exactly, get it to work to an
acceptable level, and only then think about very gradually intro-
ducing some alterations. And then, eventually, you can still end
up with a coffee bar that looks dramatically different from the
original one in Rome.
When to fire your M&A management consultant
Because organizations are so complex, paradoxically you have to
be slow to adapt, for instance when expanding abroad. Because
no one mold ts all, you have to carefully gure out what the
unique circumstances are, and what you should adapt when, in
order to make it work and keep it working. This also brings me
back to the topic of acquisitions, because they too are complex
and unique creatures.
Some time ago, I gave a presentation to a group of executives
from a variety of companies on the topic of acquisitions. Much
of the talk was about how vastly different acquisitions can be, in
terms of the purpose they are intended to serve. I ended my talk
urging the executives that, if they ever came across a consultant
who told them, “This is how you should integrate acquisi-
tions” (promoting one particular method), they should re him.
Because acquisitions can be so enormously different in purpose
and nature that they require fundamentally different approaches
to integration, and if someone recommends a “one mold ts all”
method, it is best to show that person the door.
Little did I know that the speaker coming after me was a
consultant, armed with an impressive array of PowerPoints with
titles such as “this is how you should integrate acquisitions . . .”
She looked a bit apologetic. Her company were also the main
sponsor of the event . . .
Anyway, I sort of mean it. Because sometimes acquisitions
are intended to lead to consolidation in an industry, and the
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.