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Above all, Mirchandani advises that the key to a successful acquisition and integration is communication. “Find numerous ways to focus on removing uncertainty by providing information about operating methods, the design process, and the changes and benefits associated with the acquisition,” he says. Another important lesson learned is to realize that the cul- ture of both parties has to change in order to have a success- ful merger or acquisition. A new, combined culture built out of respect for each other’s opinions and expertise evolves through the development of relationships among team members. REINFORCE TRAINING. Ongoing training is also important for new and seasoned employees, but what’s the best way to make sure that employees retain what they’ve learned? At RTM, training of new staff is reinforced by providing open lines of communication through internal training pro- grams such as RTMU and SKYE. The SKYE program fos- ters a culture of teamwork and collaboration among offices while bolstering the firm’s commitment to education. The SKYE program was started by senior leadership to encour- age young engineers to help each other grow. “They have taken it over and are supporting each other across different offices,” Mirchandani says. “They educate each other on a formal and informal basis and no senior leadership is involved.” “Find numerous ways to focus on removing uncertainty by providing information about operating methods, the design process, and the changes and benefits associated with the acquisition.” He adds that additional measures to “build the family,” in- cluding fun teaming events and volunteering opportunities, are implemented to create cohesion. “We keep these on top of people’s minds by sharing them in- ternally in weekly newsletters and on the intranet,” he says. So, once you’ve assembled a strong C-Suite team to lead change and implement training, don’t let them go. Ensure they are being compensated like they should. For more de- tails, check out Zweig Group’s 2016 Engineering Firm Salary Survey at zweiggroup.com/survey.php. Too often, change leaders make the mistake of believing that others understand the issues, feel the need to change, and see the new direction as clearly as they do. The best change programs reinforce core messages through regular, timely advice that is both inspirational and practicable.

CEOs, from page 11

❚ ❚ Having a plan in place. A formal approach for managing change – beginning with the leadership team and then engag- ing key stakeholders and leaders – should be developed early, and adapted often. ❚ ❚ Doing the wave. Change efforts should include plans for identifying leaders throughout the company and pushing responsibility for design and implementation down, so that change cascades through the organization. ❚ ❚ Communicating change. Too often, change leaders make the mistake of believing that others understand the issues, feel the need to change, and see the new direction as clearly as they do. The best change programs reinforce core messages through regular, timely advice that is both inspirational and practicable. Communications flow in from the bottom and out from the top. Over-communicate if you need to. ❚ ❚ Assessing culture. Make sure core values, company beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions are clearly understood. These things serve as the common baseline for designing essential change elements, such as a new corporate vision, and building the infrastructure and programs needed to drive change. A change program will likely not go completely according to plan. People may react in unexpected ways and external factors may shift. Effectively managing change requires continual reassessment fed by real data. ❚ ❚ Being ready for anything. A change program will likely not go completely according to plan. People may react in unex- pected ways and external factors may shift. Effectively man- aging change requires continual reassessment fed by real data. A REAL-WORLD SCENARIO. With Milan Engineering ’s office lo- cated just outside Orlando, Forida, it marked the farthest geographic merger to date for RTM Engineering Consul- tants (South Barrington, IL), a 100-person engineering and consulting firm, and No. 35 on Zweig Group’s 2015 Hot Firm List. “We originally were more concerned with cultural integra- tion and joint management due to the distance, but quickly discovered that the internal culture and behavior of the Or- lando office closely aligned with the culture of RTM’s other offices,” says Tony Mirchandani, CEO of RTM. Although integration has been considerably easier than ex- pected, RTM has employed various measures to promote cultural synergies. The development of personal relation- ships among team members creates true cultural integra- tion, and they have been able to achieve this by having a significant number of team members spending one to three weeks in their counterparts’ offices. “We also have formed joint task forces among offices to tack- le unique and challenging projects in which skillsets from one office complement those of other offices,” Mirchanda- ni says. “Additionally, principals of each office have spent a great deal of time together at offsite retreats, sharing and brainstorming how to continue the integration process.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER March 21, 2016, ISSUE 1144

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