Striking the Right Tone for Integration

For a Midstream Energy Company

Our client came to us with a slate of new acquisitions on its books that had yet to be integrated with the parent company. Our people-first M&A approach set a new standard of change management for this ​no-nonsense energy provider.

Industry: Energy (Water and Chemical Solutions)
Company Size: 5,000 Employees
Service Area: Mergers & Acquisitions

The Challenge

Designing One Company

Our client had recently made several acquisitions, all of which brought their own legacy systems and staff. People issues and cultural conflicts were inflicting multiple pain points and impeding the integration process. The client had never undertaken a large transformation before, yet needed a way to integrate its acquisitions and begin functioning as a unified whole. The parent company also possessed a very pragmatic “get it done” ethos, which shaped their culture and communication style. ​

We came in to help implement new Enterprise Resource Planning and Field Operations Platform projects in their quest to be “One Company.” These projects would pave the way for the client to integrate, function as a unified whole, and improve operations across finance, accounting, and customer service.

The Solution

Leading with Enthusiasm

We began by conducting a holistic needs assessment, which allowed us to:

• Identify the right M&A expert in our talent pool to integrate the client’s acquisitions
• Unify the staff with a robust communications strategy, which included a company-wide newsletter
• Lead configuration workshops for ERP and FOP
• Provide comprehensive training and recruit change champions

To make our materials more effective, we synthesized our visual approach with our client’s matter-of-fact communication style. We managed change resistance by assessing impact and celebrating milestones throughout the process. We then offered post-implementation support for continuous improvement.

The Results

A New Standard of Quality

Our adaptability in communication resulted in what the CTO calls a “new standard of quality” for their company. Our efforts effectively catalyzed integration across finance, accounting, operations and customer service. Applying our Change by Design principles demonstrated to leadership the need for change management throughout the entire organization.

"I truly can’t imagine this project without you on it. Your work products are top notch, and you are such a joy to work with. You know the challenges we’ve faced and continue to face. OCM is the one part that I never have to worry about. You’ve set us up for success with so many tools. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" ~ ERP Project Manager