The Situation
A leading pharmaceutical company was undergoing a period of aggressive business growth through a series of high-profile mergers and acquisitions. Recognizing the complexity and human impact of these integrations, the organization brought in LaMarsh Global to support one of its early acquisitions. The goal is to ensure a smooth integration and minimize potential disruptions caused by organizational change. However, the initial reception was mixed.
The M&A project team was skeptical of the need for change support, viewing it as soft, non-essential, and potentially a threat to their aggressive integration timeline. Despite the hesitation, the LaMarsh change consultant got to work immediately, leveraging the Managed Change™ Model to define the change, assess stakeholder risk, and begin building a plan to mitigate resistance.
Establishing Value by Reducing Risk
In the early days, the change consultant focused on listening, observing, and asking the right questions—meeting the team where they were, not where they “should be.” The consultant quickly:
- Identified potential areas of resistance within the acquired organization
- Prioritized impacted stakeholder groups and likely adoption challenges
- Aligned with sponsors on how to communicate the business case for change
By framing change management as a risk reduction strategy rather than a communication function, the consultant began to shift perceptions. As early interventions helped avoid issues and reduce confusion among acquired employees, the M&A team took notice.
What started as polite accommodation evolved into active inclusion: the change consultant was invited into planning meetings, asked for input on key decisions, and relied on to prepare sponsors and team members to engage with empathy and clarity.
The Evolution of Change as a Strategic Asset
Over the following three years and multiple acquisitions, the change consultant evolved from an “optional add-on” to the “critical path.”
- The change consultant was brought in earlier in the M&A lifecycle, often before announcements were made.
- Potential resistance was mapped and mitigated before integration work began.
- The timeline for onboarding and alignment has been shortened across deals.
- Sponsors and team leaders began using the change tools themselves to assess risks and shape their strategies.
Lessons from the Field: Insights from the Change Leader
After supporting multiple integration projects, the change consultant surfaced four key lessons that helped build credibility and accelerate results:
- Meet the Team Where They Are
Change leaders must meet the team where they are. Understand their pressures, acknowledge their timeline constraints, and prove value through action, not theory. When project teams see that your work reduces their stress and speeds up alignment, trust follows.
- Be Flexible
While the Managed Change™ methodology is structured and rigorous, it is also scalable, which is essential. By understanding the critical elements of risk assessment, the change leader can adapt the approach to meet the fast-paced demands of the integration.
- Preparation is Key
Years of experience allowed the consultant to anticipate risks and pre-populate tools with likely issues. The LaMarsh toolkit’s iterative design made it easy to update in real time, speeding up both analysis and planning.
- Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
By mentoring the broader integration team, the change consultant extended change capability across the project. Team members began identifying early signs of resistance, contributing to the change plan, and owning the adoption process, creating a culture of shared responsibility and proactive intervention. Take the time to invest in your team.
The Result
The organization began to embed change leadership into its M&A strategy. With each acquisition, integrations became faster, smoother, and more resilient. The change consultant’s insights weren’t just welcomed—they were expected.
The lesson was clear: when change is treated as a business enabler—not an afterthought—it can accelerate outcomes and reduce risk at scale.
LaMarsh Insight:
Credibility is earned through results. In high-pressure, fast-paced environments like mergers and acquisitions (M&A), change leaders must focus on risk, readiness, and reinforcement—demonstrating that well-managed change doesn’t slow things down. It makes the path forward clear, aligned, and achievable.
👉 Facing a complex integration? Join our next Managed Change™ Workshop or connect with us to explore how we can help you integrate change into your M&A strategy.
