TOPICS

Prologue

Four Walls and a Roof Don’t Make Up Your Company. Your People Do.

We all know the story of The Three Little Pigs.

Three brothers each build three different houses—of straw, sticks and bricks—only to find the former two building materials don’t adequately hold against the big, bad wolf’s blowing. Gratefully, the three take shelter in the house made of bricks, and the wolf eventually gets the hint and hits the road.

But what makes this story compelling isn’t the building materials, or even the wolf. It’s the relationship between the three little piggies.

Imagine that the trio of pigs worked collaboratively to build one strong house. How would they work together? How would they build a house that keeps the wolf at bay? What would their internal culture look like as a result—and how would they all feel about it? 

When facing a corporate disruption, you might be answering questions like those. And, if your company is bringing a host of seemingly incompatible elements under one roof, now is the time to address them to ensure a seamless focus.

Looking to Build a Stronger Company? Start With a Stronger Culture.

Just like in the story, strong materials yield strong structures. And the fortitude of the things that make up your company determines the strength of your corporate culture.

For many executives, corporate culture is difficult to pin down. It’s a set of beliefs and values that seems to materialize by itself. Or so it seems.

In reality, corporate culture can’t be left to chance. For companies expecting or undergoing disruptions, including mergers and acquisitions, culture is an element that must be addressed carefully and strategically.

An organizational restructuring, strategic transformation, merger or acquisitions that fails to consider company culture, according to recent studies, is one that sets itself up for employee disengagement, turnover or, ultimately, failure.

Employees of an organization standing with their hands together in a circle signifying unity

So, how can companies navigate the uncharted territory of disruptions? And how can they successfully survive potentially enormous shifts? By building a strong, thriving company culture. 

Prologue

Four Walls and a Roof Don’t Make Up Your Company. Your People Do.

We all know the story of The Three Little Pigs.

Three brothers each build three different houses—of straw, sticks and bricks—only to find the former two building materials don’t adequately hold against the big, bad wolf’s blowing. Gratefully, the three take shelter in the house made of bricks, and the wolf eventually gets the hint and hits the road.

But what makes this story compelling isn’t the building materials, or even the wolf. It’s the relationship between the three little piggies.

 

Imagine that the trio of pigs worked collaboratively to build one strong house. How would they work together? How would they build a house that keeps the wolf at bay? What would their internal culture look like as a result—and how would they all feel about it? 

When facing a corporate disruption, you might be answering questions like those. And, if your company is bringing a host of seemingly incompatible elements under one roof, now is the time to address them to ensure a seamless focus.

Looking to Build a Stronger Company? Start With a Stronger Culture.

Just like in the story, strong materials yield strong structures. And the fortitude of the things that make up your company determines the strength of your corporate culture.

For many executives, corporate culture is difficult to pin down. It’s a set of beliefs and values that seems to materialize by itself. Or so it seems.

In reality, corporate culture can’t be left to chance. For companies expecting or undergoing disruptions, including mergers and acquisitions, culture is an element that must be addressed carefully and strategically.

An organizational restructuring, strategic transformation, merger or acquisitions that fails to consider company culture, according to recent studies, is one that sets itself up for employee disengagement, turnover or, ultimately, failure.

So, how can companies navigate the uncharted territory of disruptions? And how can they successfully survive potentially enormous shifts? By building a strong, thriving company culture.