Retail Drug Chain -- a personal experience

A linkedin-based member of our group responded to the call for experiences pertaining to the post-merger integration of a retail drug chain.

Fritz Wiant (http://www.linkedin.com/in/fritzwiant) writes:
---
I was involved in the 1997 merger between CVS and the Revco Pharmacy chain as a front-end conversion trainer. It was the beginning of my personal quest to better understand change management in retail organizations and how to create more engaging work environments. I worked in over 20 stores in 8 states with teams of sometimes openly hostile managers, some of whom had just been recently acquired from the Big B chain.

I strongly believe that nowhere near enough emphasis placed upon, or training provided for, the cultural transition necessary to make a smooth merger. As a trainer, I was charged with spending 10 days with the front end team training them on operational procedures and systems applications. The program did not include any time for team building or facilitating understanding of the process. Trainers were also not well versed in the change management curve, which led to confrontations, including a fistfight between a project manager and a district manager and a partial mental breakdown by a licensed pharmacist.

Here are some suggestions based on my observations:
1. Facilitate change management sessions with merged groups prior to introducing any new processes or procedures. Ideally, this would include participants from both organizations. Allow time for employees to negotiate the change curve and discuss their worldview.
2. Create a support network prior to conversion that allows merged employees to work in partnership with existing team.
3. Build a mentorship program for ongoing conversations after conversion experience
---

To me, my take away is that it seems that the design of the integration was simply focused on the technical tasks and not the softer dimension of an organizational merger....I just wonder if that mistake has happended elsewhere, before???

Let's merge right folks!
Terrill.