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Four Truths Leaders Can’t Ignore.

 

When two organizations come together – whether through merger, acquisition, or partnership – leaders often focus on systems, structure, and strategy. But beneath the org charts and integration plans lies the most critical and most overlooked factor: culture. It’s the invisible current that determines whether people row together or row in circles.

I spoke with Aarif Aziz, Chief Human Resource Officer at Culligan International. He has seen Culligan through many acquisitions in recent years, so he has a great perspective and valuable advice for companies navigating culture integrations.

Aarif and his team have plenty of lessons learned. “We’ve done 300+ acquisitions in the last 6–7 years. It was very easy for us to bring examples where things didn’t go well. And interestingly, all the examples which didn’t go well were centered around culture. The question I had was, with such a rapid speed of integration, did we really take enough time to bring cultures together? (I validated) with our leadership team…everyone felt yes, we could have done more.”

Aarif and his Culligan HR leadership team have learned a lot about integrating cultures. They know that culture integration doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentionality, clarity, and a lot of leadership. These four truths can guide the way.

1. The right culture balances diversity and consistency.

Every organization brings its own legacy of behaviors, beliefs, and norms. When companies merge, the instinct is often to declare a “new” culture (or dig in on the “old” culture) and expect everyone to conform. But research and experience tell us that forced uniformity rarely works. It dismisses the strengths each legacy culture brings to the table and erodes trust.

Aarif agrees: “There are uniquenesses and strengths of these cultures. That’s why these companies were successful and it became a valuable opportunity to bring them under (our) umbrella.

What we don’t want to do to say: this is Culligan culture and then copy-paste across the companies. It won’t be a successful model. It will destroy the value of our people and their diversity of thought.

Having said that, there are a few (culture) threads which have to be common. So, if we can bring those common threads, (build) some common ground, and empower people to operate, I think we create tremendous value.”

The goal is intentional integration: honoring the best of both while building shared norms that support the new strategic direction. This isn’t compromise; it’s culture design. Leaders should ask:

  • What aspects of each culture helped the organization thrive?
  • What values and behaviors will fuel our future growth?
  • Where do we need alignment to function as one enterprise?

The most successful culture integrations are guided by a clear north star: a unifying purpose or set of principles that give teams something to believe in together.

2. Culture integration starts with behavior change.

It’s tempting to define culture as a set of values posted on the wall. But values mean little if they don’t show up in the day-to-day actions of leaders, managers, and teams. Real culture change starts where real work happens — in behavior.

Here’s Aarif: “No leader who understands how business gets done will be dismissive of how behaviors impact outcomes. Culture is abstract, so it’s really important to start with behaviors, not with complex frameworks or models.”

Here’s how:

  • Define the specific behaviors that represent the new culture.
  • Equip leaders and teams with practical tools and language to enact those behaviors.
  • Reinforce those behaviors through systems: recognition, performance management, communication.

Aarif adds this advice: “Focus on small behaviors which impact the culture and really center the conversations around it. Because when you focus on behaviors, you impact the change at the ground level. It is relatable. Use the right examples, use data, and create opportunities for reflection. People are smart enough to pick it up.”

3. Culture integration takes leadership at every level.

One of the biggest pitfalls in post-merger integrations is assuming culture is “owned” by HR or the executive team.

Aarif emphasizes the importance of leading culture change: “The face of the entire effort must be the CEO and the business leadership. If they are leading it, they will emulate the right behaviors. They will lay out the right expectations, and it changes from being a business initiative to a business imperative.

Almost every business has come to HR with a specific priority for moving the needle on culture by changing behaviors. Not as an ask from us, or a mandatory requirement. But as something they are suggesting and prioritizing. So, for me, that’s a big win, because it is not driven by HR. Our role is to be the catalyst. It is a business agenda, so it’s driven by the business leadership.”

Senior leaders are essential, of course. But culture integration happens in everyday interactions: team meetings, project decisions, customer conversations. That means everyone leads culture, whether they manage zero people or five thousand.

To support this:

  • Give leaders at every level a clear role in the culture journey.
  • Build their capability to coach, role model, and reinforce behaviors.
  • Share stories and examples from across the organization that bring the culture to life.

Aarif adds that collaboration between leaders and employees is key. “I think our people are quite conscious that the company is responding and focusing on culture. So, our two-way channels… not (just) top down, but also…bottoms up…(are) helping immensely.”

4. Culture integration is not a project; it’s a process.

Perhaps the most dangerous myth is that culture integration can be “checked off” once the dust settles. In reality, culture work is never done. It’s a continuous process of alignment, reinforcement, assessment, and evolution.

Aarif knows how important the assessment part is. “If you have clear measurement, you are able to assess the progress toward integrated culture and business outcomes. Is it becoming better, not better? And why?

I think for me the measure of success is two things: how our people are feeling and our business results. We have ways to understand and see the pulse of our people, right? But the final measure of any of this is business success. Your goal: People are feeling great, and the strategy is clear. People know what they’re doing, and they’re focused on outcomes.

And continue to monitor and show progress and continued engagement. Otherwise, you end up losing after initial momentum.”

Especially in the months following a merger or acquisition, sustained attention is key:

  • Use pulse surveys and feedback loops to measure how culture is taking hold.
  • Revisit and refine your culture roadmap as the business evolves.
  • Celebrate business outcome milestones but also acknowledge the messiness of change.

Think of culture like a garden. It requires planting, watering, pruning, and patience.

Culture can be your competitive edge.

Culture isn’t the soft stuff. It’s a hard differentiator. Companies that invest in deliberate culture integration post-merger are more likely to retain key talent, accelerate performance, and achieve strategic synergy.

Help your organization navigate these transitions with empathy, structure, and behavioral science.

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