We were amazed and pleased to read McKinsey’s recent Integrating steel giants: An interview with the ArcelorMittal postmerger managers. This article actually describes our process and philosophy almost exactly. They are talking about how they (the two people in charge of integration) enabled rapid and successful post-merger integration with significant milestones achieved the first 3 through 8 months. They point out the same factors we do, sometimes using a similar language, emphasizing timing as a key factor. What is different is that we have outlined the process in a more accessible way in our White Paper. We go on to describe what the actual steps are required for any successful merger. In addition, we have developed a Merger Excellence Readiness Program to help other organizations from the Senior Management Team, Transition Teams, HR Resources and down to the managers successfully integrated the two entities and create a New Identity and Culture of Engagement.

                                        Model of Merger Readiness™

To request our white paper on [the human dimension of] mergers, send an email to: mergers@aweber.com

Global English was one of the partners to help ArcelorMittal in the successful merger. Their expertise? You guessed it – helping companies speak the same language – English. Here is some of what they had to say on their experience:

When you use mergers and acquisitions as a path to growth for creating the world’s number one steel company, integrating the new people and new ideas is a significant challenge. This is exactly the situation faced by ArcelorMittal. With 320,000 employees in more than 60 countries, the company has led the consolidation of the world steel industry, with current production equivalent to around 10% of the world’s steel output.

“Global management requires a shared language,” said Alejandro Gardella, ArcelorMittal HR Manager Americas. “Without good communication skills, employees have a limited ability to contribute to the new global company. We had managers who had to travel with interpreters in order to participate in our global meetings.”