Leading Restructuring and Post-Merger Integration – Dubai, 18–22 Jan 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Conceptual · Practical mode: Case study

Introduction

Restructures, mergers and acquisitions are approved on the strength of expected synergies, yet much of that value is lost during integration through talent attrition, culture clash, stalled decisions and disrupted customers. This Core Concept course equips executives to lead the integration and restructuring agenda, from choosing the integration approach and target organisation design to protecting people, operations and synergies through the first hundred days and beyond. Participants apply each method to cases from several sectors and leave with an Integration and Restructuring Blueprint for a live or planned transaction or reorganisation.

Course Objectives

• Select an integration approach for a merger, acquisition or restructure using the Haspeslagh and Jemison framework and the deal thesis
• Shape the target organisation using the Galbraith Star Model, spans and layers analysis and decision rights mapping
• Establish integration governance through a steering committee, Integration Management Office and workstream structure aligned to ISO 21502
• Assess cultural fit and people risk using the Competing Values Framework and key talent retention analysis
• Oversee synergy capture, Day One readiness and integration risk through structured trackers and ISO 31000 risk criteria
• Present an Integration and Restructuring Blueprint that a board or investment committee can approve

Target Audience

• Executives sponsoring mergers, acquisitions, divestments or enterprise restructures
• Business unit heads accountable for combining or reorganising operations and teams
• Chief human resources and organisation design leaders shaping the future organisation
• Heads of corporate development and strategy who carry the deal thesis into execution
• Integration and transformation directors leading an Integration Management Office
• Senior finance and operations leaders accountable for synergy delivery and business continuity

Course Outline

Day 1: The Integration and Restructuring Landscape

• Deal Thesis and Value Creation Logic in Mergers and Acquisitions
• Restructuring Types: Merger, Acquisition, Carve-Out and Internal Reorganisation
• Value Leakage Analysis: Why Integrations Underdeliver
• Haspeslagh and Jemison Integration Approaches: Absorption, Preservation, Symbiosis and Holding
• Integration Readiness Assessment of Both Organisations

Day 2: Organisation Design and Integration Governance

• Galbraith Star Model for Target Organisation Design
• Spans and Layers Analysis and Organisation Sizing
• Integration Management Office and Steering Committee Charter
• ISO 21502 Guidance Applied to Integration Workstream Planning
• Decision Rights Mapping with RACI for the Combined Leadership

Day 3: People, Culture and Communication

• Cultural Due Diligence with the Competing Values Framework and OCAI
• Key Talent Identification and Retention Plan
• Fair Selection and Placement Process for Leadership Roles
• Stakeholder Communication Cascade and Day One Messaging
• Survivor Syndrome Diagnosis and Engagement Pulse Surveys

Day 4: Synergies, Risk and Continuity

• Synergy Baseline, Owner Assignment and Capture Tracker
• Day One Readiness Checklist and Clean Team Protocols
• Transition Service Agreements for Carve-Outs
• Integration Risk Register Aligned to ISO 31000
• ISO 30414 Human Capital Metrics for Tracking Integration Health

Day 5: Case Work and the Integration and Restructuring Blueprint

• Horizontal Merger Case Study: Culture Clash and Talent Flight
• Public Entity Consolidation Case Study: Redesigning Shared Services
• 100-Day Integration Plan Build for an Own Transaction or Reorganisation
• Integration and Restructuring Blueprint Drafting
• Investment Committee Challenge Panel and Blueprint Defence

Skills You Will Gain

• Integration Strategy
• Organisation Design
• Integration Governance
• Cultural Due Diligence
• Talent Retention Planning
• Synergy Management
• Integration Risk Oversight
• Transaction Communication

Why Attend This Course

• Return to work with an Integration and Restructuring Blueprint for a live or planned change, tested against investment committee challenge
• Protect the people and customers who carry the value of a deal through its most disruptive months
• Recognise the early signs of value leakage and direct the Integration Management Office to act on them
• Compare integration choices with executives from other sectors and countries who have led similar combinations

Conclusion

The value of a merger or restructure is decided less at signing than in the months that follow. This course moves from the deal thesis and choice of integration approach, through target organisation design and integration governance, to the culture, talent, synergy and continuity risks that erode value. The final day applies that material to cross-sector cases and to an Integration and Restructuring Blueprint that participants take back to their board, giving them a structured basis for leading the next combination or reorganisation.