This article is part of the series “Where Theory Meets Survival,” inspired by my Doctorate in Business Administration coursework — specifically, the Theory of Organizations class. Each post explores how academic frameworks became practical tools during a real-world rebranding and transformation journey.

 

Rebuilding After M&A: Why Networks Matter More Than Org Charts

When companies go through a merger or acquisition (M&A), the immediate focus often falls on tangible things: systems integration, process alignment, org chart revisions.

But underneath those systems lies something harder to see and even harder to fix: human networks.

Through my DBA research and firsthand experience navigating post-M&A integration, I’ve come to believe one thing very clearly:

The real risk after an acquisition is not technical misalignment. It is the quiet unraveling of trust, collaboration, and informal influence networks.

This is where Organizational Network Theory becomes critical — not just as a research framework, but as a survival guide.

What Is Organizational Network Theory?

Organizational Network Theory focuses on how connections (not just formal roles) shape how work gets done, ideas get shared, and decisions get made.

Instead of looking at the org chart, network theory looks at the webs of relationships: Who talks to whom. Who trusts whom. Who shares knowledge — and who doesn’t.

Key researchers like Porter and Powell (2006), Inkpen and Tsang (2005), and Ronald Burt (2004) show that networks drive innovation, agility, and knowledge transfer.

Within any organization, there are formal networks (task teams, reporting lines) and informal ones (friendships, peer advice, social alliances). The informal ones often matter more — especially during times of change.

Why Networks Break After M&A

Mergers are typically designed from the top down: leadership teams map reporting lines, consolidate systems, and restructure departments.

But they rarely design for how people actually work together.

When companies merge, each legacy team brings its own:

• Cultural norms
• Informal workflows
• Peer alliances
• Shared language and unspoken habits

These relational structures rarely align smoothly. Instead, they clash, isolate, or quietly dissolve.

• Trust that was built over years? Gone overnight.
• Collaboration habits between teams? Interrupted by reorganization.
• Individuals who held informal influence? Lost in the shuffle.

As a result, communication slows, resentment grows, and knowledge stops flowing — even if everything looks aligned “on paper.”

A Real-World Lesson in Network Breakdown

I worked with a company that had recently completed several acquisitions within two years. On the surface, the integration looked clean: shared systems, unified branding, a single leadership team.

But underneath?
People were still operating in silos:

• Teams stuck to their legacy groups, avoiding collaboration across acquired entities
• Leaders protected old hierarchies, unsure who to trust
• Innovation slowed, not because people lacked talent — but because the connections that spark new thinking were broken

Once we realized the issue wasn’t strategic or technical — but relational — we shifted focus.

We started rebuilding the informal networks that the formal integration had ignored.

Rebuilding Networks: What Worked

The most important lesson?
Rebuilding networks is not “soft” work. It is structural work — just invisible at first glance.

We took several steps that made a noticeable difference:

• Cross-functional task forces that forced collaboration across legacy teams
• Internal mentorship programs that paired people from different acquisitions
• Shared goal-setting initiatives that helped create common language and purpose
• Visible recognition for cross-group wins, not just departmental ones

None of this replaced the formal structure. But it made the structure work by reconnecting the people inside it.

Why Network Health = Organizational Health

According to Inkpen and Tsang (2005), effective organizational networks are powered by social capital — the sum of trust, shared goals, and connection quality.

They identify three types of social capital that drive performance:

• Structural (who is connected to whom, and how strongly)
• Cognitive (shared understanding and purpose)
• Relational (trust, reciprocity, norms)

A healthy organization has all three.
After M&A, all three are usually broken — unless leaders rebuild them intentionally.

In his study Structural Holes and Good Ideas, Ronald Burt (2004) showed that people who span disconnected groups generate better ideas, drive innovation, and achieve stronger career outcomes.

Translation?
Innovation lives in the bridges.
Without them, ideas stay trapped in isolated silos.

Practical Ideas to Rebuild Networks

Reconnecting human networks is just as important as integrating your CRM or ERP. It takes time, intention, and leadership that understands the power of informal influence.

Building trust, communication, and shared purpose across fragmented teams requires deliberate action.

Practical Ideas to Rebuild Networks

1. Initiate Cross-Team Projects on Strategic Work
Assign cross-functional teams with shared ownership of high-priority initiatives. This forces collaboration and builds shared accountability.

2. Create Knowledge-Sharing Rituals
Internal showcases, lunch & learns, or peer teaching sessions can reconnect disconnected expertise across departments.

3. Recognize and Reward Cross-Department Collaboration
Make cross-functional wins visible. Recognition systems should reflect the behaviors you want to promote — not just output metrics.

4. Identify Network Brokers and Support Them
Who are the “connectors” between groups? Give them space and recognition. These informal leaders drive more alignment than formal hierarchy often can.

Why Most Integrations Fail Without This Work

Leaders often celebrate “Day 1” integration: systems aligned, logos swapped, org chart updated. But real integration happens after the memo, when people decide whether to share information, trust new colleagues, or support a new idea.

Without informal network rebuilding, you get:

• Disengaged employees
• Repeated work
• Slower decision-making
• Missed innovation opportunities

Porter and Powell call this a failure of relational governance — the failure to manage the human system inside the organization.

Final Reflections: From Org Charts to Org Reality

Through my DBA work, I came to understand organizational networks as more than just a theory. They are the infrastructure of execution — especially after mergers.

We spend so much time redesigning structures, and not enough time rebuilding relationships.

But strategy flows through people.
And people move through trust.

If you want your post-M&A transformation to work, don’t just align your departments. Reconnect your people.

Have you led or experienced a post-M&A integration?
What helped — or hurt — the rebuilding of collaboration?
I would love to hear your experience. Let’s talk.