article thumbnail

Why Companies Are Using M&A to Transform Themselves, Not Just to Grow

Harvard Business Review

The current cohort of acquisitions goes well beyond the typical defensive, synergy-driven, horizontal integration that marked previous M&A spurts. Though recent acquisitions may seem idiosyncratic, they all have in common the need to find new avenues for growth in mature markets or deal with accelerating change. Symbiosis.

article thumbnail

Today's Best Companies are Horizontally Integrated

Harvard Business Review

Today, your management team should be giving more thought to horizontal integration. Decades of tweaking levels of vertical versus horizontal integration have left deep impressions on organizations. people tasked to be integrators, to foster human connections and champion the organization's purpose.