An Italian family-owned pharmaceutical company acquired a Scandinavian venture-funded firm with staff in Denmark and Sweden. The challenge was to integrate the new organization into the existing R&D function while maintaining progress on late-stage trials and new pipeline developments. A structured cultural and organizational alignment strategy ensured a successful, though complex, integration process.
Challenge
The acquisition brought together two distinct corporate cultures with different approaches to planning, budgeting, and development activities. Differences in national work styles, decision-making processes, and scientific methodologies created misalignment, making it difficult to integrate the new function seamlessly. Leadership recognized the need to bridge cultural gaps while sustaining the momentum of critical R&D programs.
Implementation
A series of targeted workshops helped address national and organizational cultural differences, providing leaders with coaching and practical tools for managing integration challenges. To align development processes, facilitated “stop-and-think” sessions encouraged teams to reflect on and refine their approaches to planning and budgeting. To further support long-term collaboration, an initiative was launched to bridge the scientific and professional gaps between the two organizations, fostering stronger alignment and knowledge sharing across teams. This structured approach helped create a shared understanding and a unified way of working, essential for sustaining R&D progress.
Achievements
The integration ultimately achieved the expected results, successfully bringing the new function into the existing R&D structure. By addressing cultural and operational differences early on, the company was able to establish a stronger foundation for collaboration, ensuring the continued advancement of late-stage trials and new pipeline developments.
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