Human Resource managers have an important role to play in identifying and developing ways to minimise the human problems from aquisitons and mergers. Potential problems should be identified at the early stages of the procedure, people issues should be carefully considered, and the implementation plan and its resulting actions should cover every aspect of the people dimension.

Expectations in the buying company should be managed, as far as possible and the timing must be carefully chosen, in order that information is not revealed at a sensitive time. A similar process should take place within the acquired organisation, as soon as this is possible. Essentially this is a communications exercise, backed by the behaviour of the managers from the buying company who have contact with the acquisition.