Overview
An important aspect of a change management strategy is to consider how different alternatives may impact future outcomes. Organizations often use the business case method to explore strategic alternatives as it helps simulate a real situation. Such simulations help with identifying business issues and provide critical information that organizations can then use to arrive at their own conclusions.
The VP of business development has asked you to analyze other organizations that have gone through the exit process. Doing so will help you identify common risks, challenges, and best practices related to mergers and acquisitions and apply this knowledge to guide the change management strategy of the life sciences organization. For example, if two merging organizations have extremely different communication styles or organizational cultures, it may often lead to conflict between the management and the employees. The same is true when one organization is acquiring another organization. Therefore, it is important that you identify all potential risks and challenges and include the best practices to avoid similar conflicts in your organization after it has been acquired.
You have decided to research a business case that may help you learn from the experiences of another organization.
The focus of your analysis should be on change management and the associated best practices that impacted the transformation of the organization in the case.
Prompt
Review the case study Bumpy Road Ahead: The Automotive Interiors Merger That Wasn’t. Next, consider the following steps to complete your analysis of the automotive case and apply your findings from the case analysis to your work in the life sciences organization in the course scenario.
Specifically, you must address the following criteria:
Case Study Review
- Provide a brief overview of the two organizations in the case study that addresses the following:
- Identify common characteristics of each organization.
- Explain how the products and services of the two organizations differ.
- Describe the key issues that affected the merger plan and its implementation.
- What were the key issues related to organizational cultures and structural integration that created problems after the merger of the two organizations? Support your response with information from the case.
- Evaluate the postmerger integration and change management strategies used in the case. Your response should address the following:
- How did the key decision makers respond to the challenges with the postmerger integration?
- What led to the challenges faced by the organization after the merger?
- Could these challenges have been prevented using different change management strategies? Explain.
Recommendations
- Based on your findings from the case study, describe specific areas that may lead to post-acquisition risks and challenges for the life sciences organization in the course scenario. Support your response.
- Recommend change management best practices the life sciences organization can use for managing post-acquisition integration in a planned manner and avoid the risks and challenges you’ve identified above.
What to Submit
Submit a 4- to 5-page Word document using double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on citations.
Module Seven Case Analysis Rubric
| Criteria | Exceeds Expectations (100%) | Meets Expectations (90%) | Partially Meets Expectations (70%) | Does Not Meet Expectations (0%) | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case Study Review: Overview | Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Provides a brief overview of the two organizations in the case; identifies common characteristics of the two organizations; explains how the products and services of the two organizations differ | Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explaining the similarities and differences in the two organizations | Does not attempt criterion | 20 |
| Case Study Review: Key Issues | Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Describes key issues related to organizational cultures and structural integration that created problems after the merger of the two organizations | Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing at least one key issue supported by facts from the case | Does not attempt criterion | 20 |
| Case Study Review: Postmerger Integration | Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Evaluates the postmerger integration and change management strategies; supports evaluation with facts from the case and addresses how the key decision makers responded to the challenges with the postmerger integration, the possible cause of challenges, and if these challenges could have been prevented using different change management strategies | Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include using relevant facts from the case to support the evaluation, such as an example of how the key decision makers responded to the challenges, what caused the challenges, or what could have been done to prevent these challenges | Does not attempt criterion | 20 |
| Recommendations: Post-acquisition Risks and Challenges | Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Identifies specific areas that may lead to post-acquisition challenges in the organization from the course scenario; provides examples of possible risks and challenges the organization in the scenario may face | Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing specific and relevant examples of possible risks and challenges that the organization in the scenario may face post-acquisition | Does not attempt criterion | 15 |
| Recommendations: Change Management Best Practices | Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Recommends change management best practices that the organization in the scenario can implement for managing post-acquisition integration in a planned manner | Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include identifying at least two change management best practices relevant to the organization in the course scenario for managing post-acquisition integration | Does not attempt criterion | 15 |
| Clear Communication | Exceeds expectations with an intentional use of language that promotes a thorough understanding | Consistently and effectively communicates in an organized way to a specific audience | Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but communication is inconsistent or ineffective in a way that negatively impacts understanding | Shows no evidence of consistent, effective, or organized communication | 5 |
| Citations and Attributions | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errors | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errors | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errors | Does not use citations for ideas requiring attribution | 5 |
| Total: | 100% |