Milton Inc.is a large corporation preparing to acquire Quick Grow,a start-up business.Milton has many policies and procedures based on years of experience.Employees at Quick Grow are used to figuring out the best practices as they go along.How can Milton's HR professionals help the company prepare for the acquisition to succeed in spite of these differences?
A) by replacing Quick Grow's employees with new employees who will follow rules
B) by reassuring everyone that any differences will disappear after the acquisition
C) by identifying the differences and developing employees' skills in conflict resolution
D) by planning systems to ensure there are no conflicts following the acquisition
E) by training employees in how to set up new HR systems

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best way for Milton's HR professionals to prepare for the acquisition is by identifying the differences between the two companies and developing the employees' skills in conflict resolution. This will help both companies' employees to understand each other's worldview, work together in harmony, and ensure a smooth integration. Simply replacing Quick Grow's employees or planning systems without addressing the cultural differences would not be effective. Meanwhile, reassuring everyone that any differences will disappear after the acquisition would be misleading and unrealistic. Lastly, while training employees in how to set up new HR systems is important, it would not address the people issues involved in such a significant change.