Hundreds of mergers and acquisitions fall short of their objectives annually, a new study has shown.
According to the Dangerous Liaisons - The Integration Game report from the Hays Group more than nine in ten mergers do not deliver on the objectives of the companies involved.
The principal reason cited for this was that excessive delays frequently occur during the decision making process, City AM reports.
This is borne out by the group's finding that the average delay for an organisation to appoint its management and decide on a hierarchy is pegged at 74 days.
Dan Derain, director of Hay Group, said: "The lesson for corporate mergers is clear - leadership needs to be given the highest priority if mergers and acquisitions are to prove successful."
The study looked at over 200 major European M&A deals which have been enacted over the last three years.
