On becoming a process‐enabled organization: How to seed a culture of quality in a postacquisition environment

Misaligned processes and disparate cultures can plague M&As for years after the deals close. As this case study illustrates, a practical yet inexpensive approach can drive process improvement and quality in a transition‐weary, cost‐wary organization through organic bottom‐up and top‐down change. The author discusses a model of process evolution in organizations and the potentially disruptive effect of M&As, particularly successive deals. He then describes a relatively simple statistical method for assessing process quality; its successful application in a postacquisition environment; and organizational considerations, including influence models and the role of sponsors and champions, for shepherding an organization toward greater process quality and rigor. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.