UNSER CULTURE ASSESSMENT (POST-SIGNING)

Strategic situational awareness & navigation map – seamlessly integrated: We clarify priorities, sequence and communication so that you can decisively move into implementation.


What is it about?


After the signing, communication and leadership are crucial during integration. For this to succeed, cultural patterns, tipping points, and synergies must be visible so that sequences, priorities, and roles can be decided sustainably. To this end, a strategic situational overview with a navigational map is developed in approximately 20 working days, providing your management and PMI team with essential information and thus securing the trust of customers and employees.

Decisiveness within. Clarity without.

Transparency instead of fog:

Culture as a snapshot of the situation – what is sustainable, what could collapse, where is energy and attention needed… and where is it not.

Route instead of activism:

Priorities, sequences, decision gateways – compatible with your PMI team.

Maintain trust:

Design communication and roles in such a way that people will go along with it (internally & in the market).

What exactly will you receive?

We only promise what we deliver: three tangible artifacts in ~20 working days, no implementation, no change program.

  • Radar image culture

    A concise assessment of cultural patterns that are significant for integration: strengths, weaknesses, topics and potential tipping points – clearly marked.

  • Navigation map

    Translation into risks, opportunities, sequences and do's/don'ts for a compatible post-merger integration (PMI) – including dependencies.

  • PMI requirements specification

    Specific requirements for integration planning (streams such as People/Organization, Communication, Operations): Defining objectives at the "what/why" level, decision points, and initial milestones. Handover to your PMI team.

What is contained in the situational image and the navigation map!


A condensed set that orders complexity and makes decisions manageable:

  • Patterns · Risks · Synergies:

    We identify the 3-5 crucial patterns and their impact on value, pace, and trust – including potential tipping points. This reveals where energy is released and where it dissipates.

  • Priorities & Order:

    Work packages are sorted according to impact and dependencies: what to do now, what to do later, what not to do at all – with clear decision points and relief points. This allows PMI teams to make focused progress.

  • Roles & Communication:

    Who needs to stand for what (sponsor, pacesetter, bridge builder) and with what attitude. Which messages ensure rapport with teams/clients – and which no-gos jeopardize trust. Including initial communication channels.

  • Integrationsmodus: Feedback:

    We assess the cultural suitability of the proposed mode (e.g., absorption, symbiosis, preservation, holding). This includes dos and don'ts for each mode and specific consequences for areas, timing, and identity. You choose the mode.

  • Top decisions (3–5):

    The most important decisions for the next 30-90 days, clearly prioritized and addressed – with if-then options and impact assessments. So that leadership can make decisions instead of just discussing them.

How we work

No more tool circus!

After signing, we deliver robust, decision-making-ready information within days – not just meters of presentation slides. We condense existing signals, contradictions, and patterns into a clear picture that makes priorities, sequences, and guidelines visible. Instead of endless lists of key performance indicators, we work with vivid, shared visuals that generate internal resonance; where numbers truly help, we use them strategically.

Response before scorecards

We condense signals, contradictions, and narratives into internal images and clear guidelines that enable leadership to make confident decisions. We use numbers where they truly matter (impact, risk, pace) – not a graveyard of key performance indicators. Pathways and potential tipping points also become visible.

Impartial & discreet:

We work within a small, non-disclosure-proof group, respecting both "houses." Interests are clearly reflected, and lines of conflict are clearly identified – without any public exposure. The result: a decision-making-oriented picture that protects trust and enables action.

Industry-specific:

When needed, we bring in experienced practitioners from the respective industry – people who understand the language, cycles, and regulations and can "notice when X isn't a U." This combines cultural analysis with industry logic; the team remains lean, and the insights are accurate.


For whom – target audience & use


Governance: Advisory board / Supervisory board, (co-)owner or private equity or operating partner

Use the radar image for a shared understanding of the situation and the navigation map for priorities and decision-making rhythm.



Management & C-Suite: CEO, CFO, CHRO, COO

Translating radar images, maps, and specifications into personnel, management, role, and communication decisions; keeping key risks in mind.


PMI Management & Integration Teams

Integrate the requirements specification into your master plan and plan the streams; we moderate the handover – your teams are responsible for the implementation.


When is an assessment worthwhile after signing?


Is the integration risk high? It's particularly worthwhile when several factors coincide: high complexity, strong dependence on people/customers, and close interrelationships between companies. In such cases, a thorough assessment provides clarity, a defined sequence, and certainty for implementation.


If desired, we can determine your Integration Risk Score together… then you will know if and how exactly a culture assessment will help you.

  • Employee and customer dependency

    When value creation depends heavily on key personnel, specialized knowledge, or established customer relationships, there is a risk of employee churn, knowledge gaps, or customer switching (especially in service/sales-related businesses). The assessment identifies early warning signs, retention levers, handover pathways, and an effective communication strategy with teams and customers.

  • Integration intensity & complexity

    Deep process/IT integration, multiple locations or parallel development paths (buy-and-build), and a high need for cooperation. We structure dependencies, define decision points, and establish a feasible sequence with relief points. This prevents overload and makes synergies realistically plannable.

  • Cultural distance

    Significantly different values, leadership and decision-making styles, or communication rituals increase friction, retention risk, and delay the impact of synergy. The assessment identifies "translation zones" (points of contact where two different work and leadership cultures meet), defines dos and don'ts, and outlines what must be consciously preserved. This ensures that collaboration is effective – instead of fracturing into misunderstandings, duplication of effort, and delays.

  • Strategic realignment / change in leadership

    Governance restructuring, new roles, or changes in strategy can lead to identity crises and role conflicts. We provide guidance on defining roles and responsibilities, establishing a robust communication strategy, and creating a roadmap for the start – accessible to both the board/management and the PMI team.

When is rather not?

  • No integration planned: Purely financial/asset transaction or passive minority stake with no intention of operational intervention.
  • Stable PMI: Guidelines are established, teams are adaptable, key performance indicators and engagement are stable – little added value.

No, we don't do that.

  • No substitute for Legal/Financial/Commercial DD: We supplement it substantially with cultural facts and implications.
  • No change program / implementation sale: We advise on course & priorities; implementation is the responsibility of your teams/professionals.
  • No obsession with key performance indicators, no endless workshops: impact before metrics, decisions instead of meetings.