Mergers & Acquisitions, Cultural Due Diligence, and Implications for HRD Practitioners

Despite the seminal research pioneered by J. Robert ‘Bob’ Carleton when he introduced the corporate world of mergers and acquisitions to his idea of cultural due diligence (CDD) in 1997, many mergers or acquisitions still fail due to the lack of willingness on the part of ‘dealmakers’ and others involved in the process to do what is needed to ensure success. Practitioners, including those from the disciplines of performance improvement, human resources development (HRD), human resource management (HRM), and organization development (OD), still need to step up, take responsibility, and provide needed guidance and direction for those executives or senior managers responsible for the integration of two or more cultures coming together in a new organization following a merger or acquisition. Those practitioners with knowledge of and experience in cultural integration need to also step up and develop newer talent unaccustomed to the rigours of culture clash and cultural integration to move toward a successful merger or acquisition (Craig, 2022, p. 1).