Five Frogs on a Log
A CEO's Field Guide to Accelerating the Transition in Mergers, Acquisitions & Gut Wrenching Change
January 2001
220 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBN:
978-0-471-48556-8
John Wiley & Sons
Five Frogs on a Log offers readers an entertaining andno-nonsense field guide to the mergers and acquisitions jungle,packed with insight and instruction for executing corporate changeand capturing shareholder value. Whether you're buying anothercompany or acquiring a new vision of the future, this book proffersan unconventional perpsective and a practical, readily accessibleset of solutions to the single greatest challenge facing today'smanagers: execting rapid transitions in mergers, acquisitions andgut wrenching change.
Acknowledgements xi
Foreword xiii
Mergers, Acquisitions, and Large-Scale Change
Introduction: The Salado River xvii
The Seven Deadly Sins of Transitions
1. Opportunity Lost 1
The Dealmakers' Nightmare
2. The Ugly Truth 7
Deciding Is Easy, Executing Is Hard
3. More Ugly Truth 15
Why Performance Deteriorates
4. The Law of the Band-Aid 31
The Need for Accelerated Transition
5. 260 Priorities 37
Economic Value Creation
6. Windshield Watching in Seattle 53
Early Communication and Stability
7. No Secrets, No Surprises, No Hype, No Empty Promises 69
Connecting with Your Stakeholders
8. Five Frogs on a Log 89
Launching Transition Teams
9. Acute Structural Anxiety 107
Organization Structure and Role Clarity
10. The Two-and-a-Half-Ton Truck 119
Policies and Practices
11. The Ultimate Scapegoat 137
Unconventional Advice About Culture
12. The Blind Man's Dog 169
Value Creation Incentives
13. The North Bank 183
Index 187
Foreword xiii
Mergers, Acquisitions, and Large-Scale Change
Introduction: The Salado River xvii
The Seven Deadly Sins of Transitions
1. Opportunity Lost 1
The Dealmakers' Nightmare
2. The Ugly Truth 7
Deciding Is Easy, Executing Is Hard
3. More Ugly Truth 15
Why Performance Deteriorates
4. The Law of the Band-Aid 31
The Need for Accelerated Transition
5. 260 Priorities 37
Economic Value Creation
6. Windshield Watching in Seattle 53
Early Communication and Stability
7. No Secrets, No Surprises, No Hype, No Empty Promises 69
Connecting with Your Stakeholders
8. Five Frogs on a Log 89
Launching Transition Teams
9. Acute Structural Anxiety 107
Organization Structure and Role Clarity
10. The Two-and-a-Half-Ton Truck 119
Policies and Practices
11. The Ultimate Scapegoat 137
Unconventional Advice About Culture
12. The Blind Man's Dog 169
Value Creation Incentives
13. The North Bank 183
Index 187
"...a light but very informative read..." (Internet Works, September 2003)
MARK L. FELDMAN, Ph.D., is a partner and managing director ofPricewaterhouseCoopers' global mergers and acquisitions consultingbusiness - The Accelerated Transition. He provides strategicadvisory services in accelrating the capture of sustained economicvalue from mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. He has twentyyears of international consulting experience with many of thoseyears spent in the Asia-Pacific region. He has published manyarticles and is a frequently quoted speaker who has addressedaudiences throughout the world.
MICHAEL F. SPRATT, Ph.D., is also a partner and managing directorin PricewaterhouseCoopers' global mergers and acquisitionsconsulting business. He provides strategic advisory services,specializing in companies undergoing dramatic change. He haseighteen years of international consulting experience and nineyears of expereince in production management and business planningin the semiconductor and instrumentation industry. He has publishednumerous articles on transition management, value driver analysis,and value creation incentive plans. He has addressed audiencesthroughout the United States and is a popular speaker on cahnge andtransition.
MICHAEL F. SPRATT, Ph.D., is also a partner and managing directorin PricewaterhouseCoopers' global mergers and acquisitionsconsulting business. He provides strategic advisory services,specializing in companies undergoing dramatic change. He haseighteen years of international consulting experience and nineyears of expereince in production management and business planningin the semiconductor and instrumentation industry. He has publishednumerous articles on transition management, value driver analysis,and value creation incentive plans. He has addressed audiencesthroughout the United States and is a popular speaker on cahnge andtransition.
