M&A Insights

Article

Signs of optimism in the M&A market

– After a rough first quarter, will skies brighten for global deal activity?
Interview

Making programmatic M&A work: An interview with Empower CEO Ed Murphy

– In less than a decade, Empower has grown into the second-largest US retirement services company. Ed Murphy, the company’s... leader since day one, offers an experienced perspective on M&A success.
Article

Driving growth in consumer goods through programmatic M&A

– Companies that take a programmatic approach to M&A deals outperform their peers, but this strategy requires differentiated... capabilities and effective execution.
Article

Using M&A to transform procurement

– A merger creates an opportunity to reinvent the procurement function, turning it into an innovation engine and strategic partner... to business leaders.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The power of goodbye: How carve-outs can unleash value

– Separations can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create value for the remaining and separated companies. The secret? Get... granular about support costs and personal about talent.

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M&A Strategy & Due Diligence

Article

The flip side of large M&A deals

– Research shows there is a 50-50 chance that companies pursuing large M&A deals will outperform industry peers. Here are the... four actions executives can take to increase those odds.
Article

Global M&A market slows in 2022 first half—but shows signs of strength

– Americas are most active while technology/media/telecom dominates other sectors.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

How one approach to M&A is more likely to create value than all others

– Two decades of research show that, while large deals still have their place, programmatic M&A strategies continue to create... gains in excess total returns to shareholders, at lower levels of risk.
Podcast

Agile business portfolio management

– Companies that regularly refresh their portfolios tend to outperform, but deciding when and how to divest a business may be the... most challenging part of M&A.
Article

The power of through-cycle M&A

– How companies can use deal making to accelerate strategic shifts during the COVID-19 crisis.

Integration

Interview

In conversation: Four keys to merger integration success

– M&A experts share the integration practices that set the most successful large deals apart.
Article

Post-close excellence in large-deal M&A

– The most successful large-deal transactions follow four key practices during integration execution.
Article

Eight basic beliefs about capturing value in a merger

– To maximize deal value in a merger, focus on critical principles.
Article

Organizational culture in mergers: Addressing the unseen forces

– Understanding culture, and proactively managing it, is critical to a successful integration. This requires a comprehensive approach.

Separations & IPOs

Article

Divesting with agility

– Research shows that active, efficient reallocation of resources creates better returns for companies than simply standing pat... does. Here’s how to make portfolio decisions faster.
Article

Through a different lens: A McKinsey perspective on separations

– To succeed, companies need to view divestitures in a way that goes beyond the traditional M&A approaches.
Podcast

Active portfolio management: Interview with Andy West

– Senior partner Andy West discusses the latest trends in M&A in light of several recent high-profile divestitures.
Article

Going, going, gone: A quicker way to divest assets

– Speedy separations create more value than those that lumber along, our research finds. Preparation is the key.

Joint Ventures & Alliances

Article

Checking the health of your business partnerships

– Frequent, systematic assessments of joint ventures and alliances can reveal hidden problems and opportunities to create more value.
Article

Improving the management of complex business partnerships

– Adhering to four key principles can help companies increase the odds that their collaborations will create more value over their... life cycles.
Article

Negotiating a better joint venture

– As important as it is to secure the right terms for a shared enterprise, it is just as critical to form a sustainable relationship.
Article

Avoiding blind spots in your next joint venture

– Even joint ventures developed using familiar best practices can fail without cross-process discipline in planning and implementation.

Learning & Capability Building

Survey

Practice makes perfect: What sets programmatic acquirers apart

– While there is no shortcut to outperformance in deal making, a new survey finds that expert acquirers take a different approach... to strategy, deal execution, and integration.
Article

Organizational culture in mergers: Addressing the unseen forces

– Understanding culture, and proactively managing it, is critical to a successful integration. This requires a comprehensive approach.
Article

Equipping leaders for merger integration success

– Leadership capability building is crucial during mergers. Tailoring a program for three cohorts of integration leaders can make... a big difference.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The four building blocks of change

– Four key actions influence employee mind-sets and behavior. Here’s why they matter.

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