All M&As happened mainly for two main reasons: 1) to realize cost efficiency and 2) to achieve synergy (and supposedly greater market share). Obviously, management will usually go with cost cutting first, because it is a "quick win" as result is usually achieved in a shorter period time, justifying the reasons for the M&A.
Cost efficiency will result from the consolidation of the operations of MB and AMM, and this is when people start to worry about their roles being redundant. The company promised that there will be no layoffs, but a hiring freeze was on. Apparently, the company planned to flush people out by its normal annual attrition rate (about 40 plus per cent).
Analysis team has its own worries. Being the newbie, I was quite neutral about the M&A, except for the inconvenience of having to adapt to a new working environment (new office, new colleagues, new management style ...). But some of my colleagues who have been with the company for a few years found it difficult to accept initially, as MB was THE Competitor as far as they know. MB and AMM offers different set of products and services, and AMM's team has been making fun of MB's offerings since forever. The idea of having to work together with MB as one company now definitely feels kind of surreal. Managers of different departments have been going in and out of meetings trying to find a solution to integrate products from both companies, but nothing has been announced yet. The short term plan is to gather MB and AMM's team in one office, but both teams will still operate as before with minimal interaction.
After a recent visit to our new office in Technology Park Malaysia together with the MB's team, my biggest worry now is which corporate culture will dominate the new workplace. AMM, with its origin from ANZ, has a strong Aussie-style AngMo culture which is more chillax and focuses more on work-balance; whereas MB, started by a local Chinese businessman, has a strong Chinaman culture which is very result-oriented, and by the "minimalist" style of its office decor, one can pretty much tell that the management keeps a very tight-watch on its purse-string.
At this moment, I am not sure what to think about exactly; should I stay or move on? Two people in our team already left, while another will be transferring to a different business unit. The original team is torn and the chemistry never the same. In my previous careers, my companies suffered because of the GFC, and now I am in a company that is actually growing, but somehow, I feel quite uneasy towards all the changes that are happening and will happen in the future.
I have longed to settle down, but seems like I will be on the move again to a new place because of the relocation of the office in late March. A bird without feet, my fate it is...
