Cultural Due Diligence

Every time I hear or read about a potential business acquisition or merger–especially international ones–I wonder how the smart people who run those organizations can overlook the vital element of cultural integration challenges. The proposed acquisition-merger of Anheuser–Busch (an American company) with InBev (a Belgian-Brazilian company) is another example.

As the WSJ article points out, AB has a hugely popular external-facing focus. Indeed, these are the folks who brought you the Bud Bowl, Spud–the dog, and the Clydesdale commercials. These have been elevated to American icons, with mythologies around them.

In contrast, InBev has a much lower-key profile. In our cultural parlance, this is the proverbial “tip of the iceberg” and the invisible cultural differences will play a major role in how well these companies can succeed through integration. The history of previous deals should make it clear that just as you do a financial and facility due diligence in responsibly examining the impact of a big business deal, so too should businesses examine the cultural challenges they’ll encounter.

Mike
RW3