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Download WAV Group’s New Report on how to ensure Post-Merger Success

Merging two or more local REALTOR(R) associations, or two MLSs, or both, is never easy. It takes courage, vision, trust, legal diligence, and a willingness to set aside long-standing habits in favor of a stronger future. But the harder work often begins after the documents are signed. WAV Group’s new report, Merger Approved. Now Comes the Hard Part: Making It Work., makes the case that the vote is not the victory. The highly respected new organization is the victory, and that only comes from deliberate work in the months that follow.

The Real Test

The real test of a merger is not whether two organizations can become one on paper. It is whether two staffs, two leadership cultures, two sets of traditions, two governance histories, and two member communities can become one high performing organization with a shared purpose.

Without active leadership and ongoing honest discussions, a newly merged association can unintentionally become two organizations operating under one name. That is why the first 12 to 24 months after a merger matter so much. This is the window when the new culture is either intentionally built, accidentally defined by old habits, or never created at all.

Where Post-Merger Integration Goes Wrong

Every merger has its own dynamics, but there are several predictable trouble spots, including:

• Fighting over the final name, which can become a proxy battle for identity and control
• Holding onto old traditions that no longer serve the full membership
• One legacy group trying to dominate the other instead of building from the strengths of both
• Underestimating how emotionally complex it is to merge staff, cultures, and leadership
• Failing to embrace the new staff structure and CEO leadership
• Losing track of the bigger picture while leaders get consumed by internal issues

Michael Wyckoff, Florida Realtors District 6 Vice President, and one of the leaders involved in one of the largest association mergers completed in the last two years in the Tampa/St Petersburg, Florida markets, expressed the following:

“While the work to merge two associations was substantial, I think we underestimated how difficult it is to seamlessly merge two organizations with divergent cultures, unique governance structures and even two different political leanings. In hindsight, I wish we would have recognized the work that needed to be done post-merger to create a cohesive, honest and open dialogue with leadership and staff. I don’t believe any of us had any idea how difficult it would be to create a cohesive organization.”

What Success Actually Requires

The report lays out eight specific ways a newly merged association or MLS can increase its value after the merger, from making membership more meaningful and building a compelling education program to putting brokers at the center of the organization and conducting quarterly organizational health checks.

The goal of a merger should never be simply to reduce costs, change a name, or create a larger organization. The real goal is a better organization, one that is more relevant, more financially sustainable, more responsive to brokers and members, and better equipped to help real estate professionals succeed. In other words, the goal is not just 1 + 1 = 2. The goal is 1 + 1 = 5.

If your association or MLS has recently completed a merger, or is considering one, this report offers a practical roadmap for the work that determines whether the merger actually pays off.

Download WAV Group’s Best Practices Guide: Merger Approved. Now Comes the Hard Part: Making It Work. today.

If you need help orchestrating a merger, or ensuring the merger you just completed delivers on the promise that drove the decision, WAV Group is here to help. Fill out the form below and we’ll get right back to you to see how we can help.

The post The Merger Approval Is Just the Beginning, not the Finish line appeared first on WAV Group Consulting.