M&A Best Practices

Post-merger integration fails less often because of strategy and more often because of operating model decisions made too early or not made at all. One of the most critical choices a CEO faces after closing is whether the acquired company should be integrated or assimilated. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they represent very different paths with very different risk profiles. STM sees this decision as foundational. Get it wrong and the organization experiences

Post-merger integration is where value is either realized or quietly destroyed. Yet too often, PMI is treated as a finite operational exercise rather than a strategic lever tied to the company’s long-term ambition. When integration is designed without a clear endgame, organizations default to speed, cost cutting, or structural convenience, only to discover later that the combined company cannot execute its growth strategy. Effective PMI starts with a simple but underused disc

Most post-merger integration efforts fail for a simple reason. They are treated as a project, not a strategy. Executives default to tactical checklists. Systems migration. Org charts. Reporting lines. While necessary, these activities do not determine whether a deal delivers its promised value. What determines success is whether the integration is deliberately designed to advance the strategic intent of the transaction over the first year and beyond. A PMI roadmap that actual