How KM Programs Respond to Mergers & Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are an increasingly mainstream part of the corporate landscape. While they can accelerate growth, create shareholder value, and drive long-term benefits, M&As often create near-term challenges for an organization’s KM team and bring with them a range of other associated changes, from leadership turnover to restructuring and layoffs. All of those can affect support for KM and have a profound impact on the newly formed organization’s knowledge needs and priorities.

The good news is that many KM programs have successfully navigated these disruptions while driving value for their organizations. This article relies on data from APQC’s Innovation in the Face of Disruption: 2020 survey to discuss the techniques, skillsets, and partnerships that KM programs leverage in response to M&As.