M&A Science
How to Score Culture Fit in M&A with Sharon Van Zeeland
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Sharon Van Zeeland, Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation scores the culture of acquisition targets on a zero-to-five scale. The scores come from a 50-item survey that takes about 20 minutes. Sharon Van Zeeland, an electrical engineer who became a corp dev leader, explains why those scores rarely kill a deal. They shape how Rockwell integrates it.
Sharon covers the three categories Rockwell watches most closely: adaptability, process consistency, and understanding of the mission. She also covers a third-party software license that diligence missed, which slowed a customer's drug development. And she explains the time-bound decision charts that keep integration from stalling. Then she shares how an exclusive hunting right, a company truck, and a Fourth of July parade sponsorship got stalled deals signed.
Sharon's team used to wait until close to bring in integration leaders. Then they spent time re-explaining the deal thesis and found things they had missed. DealRoom Integration lets your integration team plan from live diligence findings, with owners, dependencies, and timelines set before Day 1. See how it works: click here.