Global Brewing Company: Post-merger Change Management

Accenture helped execute the post-merger change management process for a brewing company and developed a timetable for integrating the leadership teams, cultures and IT processes.

Prior to expected regulatory approval of their joint venture, the information technology and human resources leaders of the two companies collaborated to map out an organizational design for a combined IT group. Linking the geographically diverse IT workforce and encouraging collaboration would be critical success factors.

Accenture was selected to help bring together the IT organizations of these two companies, a complex challenge due to the size of the companies and the need to bridge differences in corporate cultures.

Accenture helped execute the post-merger change journey for the client and developed a timetable for integrating two leadership teams, two cultures, two organizations and two sets of IT processes. As part of this effort, the post-merger organization was challenged with:

• Creating transformational change in IT to help win in the beer business.

• Integrating two sets of corporate cultures, processes and organizations in a newly merged environment.

• Developing teamwork and leadership skills within the new IT senior leadership team.

• Building multisite teaming across division sites and remote locations.

• Setting the standard by being the first organization within the company to undergo integration in preparation for peak work volume required to drive the integration of two companies.

The company is on a path to improved teaming across multiple division sites and remote locations through evolving leadership alignment, clarified accountabilities in the new organization structure, communications protocol and integrated operational process definition.

The goal is for the new IT organization to deliver three times the value beyond what the combined legacy organizations would contribute.