Managing an acquisition from the acquiring end is a complex and critical process. Many authors discuss the myriad complications attendant to acquiring and successfully integrating another company. Little has been written, however, about managing the process from the perspective of the company being acquired.
Just as surely as the acquiring company must take certain steps to succeed, so too must the company being acquired in order to maximize the value of the marriage.
What do executives in an acquired company have to do in order to be acquired well? What must executives in the acquired company do in order to make the transition quickly, productively and without acrimony? What might these executives do in order to become as essential to the success of the newly combined company as they were to the success of their formerly independent company?
Following is a discussion of some keys to ensuring a successful effort at being acquired.