Books

Cover of The HR Practitioner's Guide to Cultural Integration in M&A by Dr. Klint Kendrick, a practical guide to overcoming culture clashes and driving value in mergers and acquisitions.

"One of the things I love about this book is that it is straightforward and practical. Dr. Kendrick does not spout theories, but instead gives solid, actionable guidance so that anyone can follow along with the M&A process. Great tool!" ~ Nicholas L

The HR Practitioner's Guide to Cultural Integration in M&A

Overcome culture clash to drive measurable deal value

According to Harvard Business School research, over 70% of corporate mergers and acquisitions destroy shareholder value. These failed transactions don't just negatively impact buyers—they impair customers, weaken suppliers, and damage careers. When deals fail, business leaders frequently point to cultural differences as the culprit.

Dr. Klint Kendrick draws from his experience leading HR workstreams on deals for companies like Boeing, Oracle, and SC Johnson to provide a practical roadmap for successful cultural integration. This eagerly awaited follow-up to his best-selling Due Diligence guide helps you identify the root causes of culture clash and overcome them for deal success.

In this step-by-step guide, you'll discover:

  • How paying attention to culture creates or destroys deal value

  • The five key drivers of culture clash and how to spot them before they derail your deal

  • Three deal-specific questions that make cultural integration more effective

  • A powerful method to determine which cultural elements must be attended to first

  • More than a dozen leading practices for effective cultural integration

The HR Practitioner's Guide to M&A Due Diligence

Identify critical people risks before they derail your deal.

Over 80% of mergers and acquisitions fail to meet objectives, with a quarter of business leaders pointing to avoidable problems with people, leadership, and culture as the primary causes. When deals fail, they destroy billions in value, affecting companies, employees, retirees, and entire communities.

Dr. Klint Kendrick draws from his experience leading dozens of transactions and chairing the HR M&A Roundtable to provide a practical roadmap for successful due diligence. This essential guide helps you tackle the most vexing people issues that arise during business sales and acquisitions, ensuring your deals beat the overwhelming odds of failure.

In this step-by-step guide, you'll discover:

  • How people, leadership, and culture issues determine if your M&A succeeds or fails

  • The six vital areas HR must explore for effective due diligence

  • Eight powerful methods for extracting critical data to uncover problems earlier

  • Four fundamental ways to mitigate HR risks that would otherwise doom your deal

  • A no-nonsense approach to assessing and retaining top talent during M&A

Cover of The HR Practitioner's Guide to M&A Due Diligence by Dr. Klint Kendrick, a practical guide to identifying and mitigating people risks in mergers and acquisitions.

"I was trying to get a more complete picture of the entire M&A process. Fortunately, a colleague recommended Klint’s book. The HR Practitioner's Guide to Mergers & Acquisitions Due Diligence was written in an engaging and accessible style that helped me understand the more advanced concepts being shared in the book."  ~ S. Ryan

"One of the worst things that can happen in M&A is key people quit right after the deal is closed. This book guides you through diligence from an HR lens, but branches to key functions of diligence; financial, operations, compliance, leadership, etc." ~ Kison P

Looking for more?

If you're interested in toolkits, training, or roundtable discussions inspired by these books, visit Master Your Merger for additional resources designed to help HR and M&A leaders put these ideas into action.