This handbook was written by the authors in partnership with the M&A Leadership Council. The Council is made up of recognized authorities and practitioners who are expert in the field of mergers and acquisitions. The Employee Handbook is an important publication intended to assist employees (often the most important stakeholders in a merger) with the personal uncertainties that occur when a major change like this comes about. Obviously the reader of this handbook is part of an organization which recognizes the importance of clear and personal communications with its employees. We hope this handbook is helpful as you journey through this and future mergers and acquisitions,

In today's business environment, market maturity and globalization have increased the level of competition, making it more difficult to capture and increase market share. This has led to the age of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), where the easiest way to grow your business and deliver shareholder value is to acquire and merge companies and their revenue streams.The net result is that most people will either have to experience and survive M&As firsthand, or at least know someone that has gone through a merger or acquisition in their professional career. Though management will paint M&As as a "win-win" for all those involved, the reality is that the only people who win are the executive management teams. The remaining employees are trapped in the middle trying to make M&As work for their own survival.10 Truths of Mergers and Acquisitions: A Survival Guide lays out the reality of what happens when companies are acquired or merged. Starting with The Truth of Mergers: "There are no mergers, only acquisitions," each truth is conveyed with humor and irony, backed by real-life examples, and offers guidelines for success to help you survive the situation. Dr. C. M. Cower shares his own personal M&A mistakes and lessons learned, preparing you to delicately tread through the minefield of acquisitions and mergers.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) experts Tim Galpin and Mark Herndon present an updated and expanded guide to planning and managing the M&A process. This comprehensive book is unique in providing the tools to address both the human and operational sides of integration. Based on the authors' consulting experience with numerous Fortune 500 companies, this resource will help organizations capture deal synergies more quickly and effectively. Augmenting their step-by-step advice with helpful templates, checklists, graphs and tools, Galpin and Herndon provide sound guidance for successfully integrating different processes, organizations, and cultures. The authors also address pre-deal do’s and don’ts, people dynamics, common mistakes, communications strategies, and specific actions you can take to create measurable positive results throughout the integration process. The revised edition not only updates case studies and presents recent integration research, but it also adds new tools.

Companies around the globe are increasingly pursuing M&A as a growth strategy. Odds are, at some point in your career, your company will be one of them. Jennifer J. Fondrevay, an M&A expert who has led teams and brands through three separate multibillion-dollar acquisitions, reveals that these transitions are as stressful as a major loss or moving to another country. The normal human reactions of fear, anger, anxiety, and denial can make the experience hellish, make leading change overwhelming, and keep you from capitalizing on opportunities. To help you navigate the chaos and your emotions and to see how M&A can, in fact, further your career, Jennifer has written NOW WHAT?, the guide she wished for years ago. Based on 60 interviews with M&A integration survivors and practitioners, NOW WHAT?: Explains the drivers behind M&A so that you can anticipate what's coming and start to appreciate where the opportunities might be. Exposes the post-deal experience for what it is: a journey from denial to acceptance through the M&A stages of grief. Identifies the "cast of change" characters (e.g., the Former Rock Star, the Black Widow, etc.) and how to engage them. Helps you construct a total "survive and thrive" game plan for cultivating the right mindset, collaborating with the "other side," and finding your niche to succeed. NOW WHAT? helps anybody in the middle of it all, from C-suite executives to team leaders and players, come out stronger on the other side to help their companies do the same.