You've acquired a new company with different values. How can you align your leadership style to match theirs?

I hope that before you acquired a new company you did your due diligence to make sure that integrity and fairness was part of their values, otherwise you will be walking into a snakes' den. If the new company has positive values they should reasonably align with yours. If they don't you'll need to build a container of trust so that you can both support and challenge the managers and workers who are used to doing things differently. Balancing empathy and effectiveness, autonomy and consistency, and inclusiveness and decisiveness will be a part of your approach.

People need context to embrace anything. If two organizations become one then the company mission, objectives and strategy need to be worked out and shared. Once those are defined then the work of engagement can begin. The what and why which Mission, Objective and Strategy provide context from which people can process and help figure out what it means for the global organization and their role/function within it. Having experienced several marger/acquistions I have seen that until the what and why are established, confusion reigns supreme and material progress does not happen.

Duas diferentes empresas certamente terão aspectos de cultura diferentes. Não tente submeter uma à outra, mas sim, construir uma "terceira" cultura, na qual as duas primeiras possam se sentir acolhidas e representadas. Às vezes a nova cultura terá mais elementos de uma do que de outra, mas isso não é um problema, desde que a comunicação tenha sido transparente e os princípios mais relevantes de cada uma tenham sido respeitados.

I’d recommend prioritizing culture sensitization workshops during the merger. These workshops are key to ensuring a smooth integration by helping both organizations understand not just regional or national cultures, but also differences in values and leadership styles. By encouraging open dialogue and adaptation on both sides, you’ll foster mutual respect and readiness to evolve together. A gradual approach, where both companies merge into one culture while keeping some unique aspects initially, will make the transition smoother. It also signals that the acquired company's culture is valued, fostering unity and long-term cohesion.