Integration Myths Debunked: Separating Facts from Fiction

There is no doubt that the Post-Merger Integration (PMI) landscape has evolved. Companies are more experienced, integration teams are better structured, and PMI practitioners are far more sophisticated than they were a decade ago.

Yet, some fundamental misconceptions still persist. These myths quietly shape how integrations are planned and executed — often with damaging consequences. Let’s clear out a few of the most common ones.

Myth 1: Integration is just about hitting synergy targets

Reality: Synergies matter, but so do culture, employee engagement, and operational readiness. In one retail integration, leadership prioritized cost synergies by consolidating warehouses while ignoring employee sentiment. The result was high attrition, service disruption, and ultimately revenue loss that wiped out a large part of the expected savings.

Myth 2: Integration playbooks are one-size-fits-all

Reality: Every deal is structurally different. A tech acquisition may require deep platform and data integration, while a manufacturing merger often hinges on supply chain consolidation and plant rationalisation. A rigid playbook risks missing the few deal-specific issues that actually determine success.

Myth 3: The Integration Management Office is just project management

Reality: A strong IMO does far more than track milestones. In a recent FMCG merger, the IMO led regulatory approvals, change management and unified client onboarding. Without that central coordination, Day 1 readiness would have collapsed.

Myth 4: Culture can be dealt with later

Reality: Culture is not a “Phase 2” topic. In one cross-border acquisition, a European buyer underestimated the gap in leadership style and decision-making norms in the US target. Senior executives exited within months, weakening the integration at the exact moment stability was most needed.

Myth 5: Retention is only about financial incentives

Reality: Bonuses alone rarely solve retention. In a software acquisition, generous payouts were offered, but role clarity and career progression were left undefined. Key engineers still left — taking institutional knowledge with them.

Bottom line

PMI success depends less on perfect plans and more on balanced priorities, informed leadership, and shedding outdated assumptions. Most integration failures are not caused by lack of effort, but by believing the wrong things at the start.