On July 31, SID-US hosted a hybrid event on Mergers & Consolidations in Global Development: Insights & Trends in partnership with LG Consulting. This event addressed the urgent realities and emerging opportunities facing global organizations as they navigate ongoing turbulence, funding pressures, and sector disruption. The conversation focused on how mergers, consolidations, and strategic alliances are no longer optional, but essential tools for resilience and mission impact in today’s development landscape.
The LGC experts/speakers were: Tom Dente, John Glover, Ellen Greenberg, and Jeff Branch along with LGC CEO, Lynne Gilliland.
Key Themes
- The Changing Landscape: The global development sector faces direct and indirect shocks, persistent uncertainty, and a shifting donor environment. Organizations must adapt quickly to survive and thrive.
- Why Mergers & Consolidation Matter: M&C is increasingly a survival strategy—not just a growth tactic. While up to 90% of for-profit and 60% of nonprofit mergers fall short of their goals, the right approach can unlock new capabilities, resources, and mission impact.
- Risks and Realities: Failure rates are high due to loss of talent, poor stakeholder engagement, and neglect of culture. Boards and leaders must act with urgency, honesty, and a willingness to reimagine traditional structures.
- People-Driven Value: Successful transitions require rapid assessment of organizational readiness, early identification of people and culture issues, and ongoing, transparent communication.
- Building a Robust Culture: The goal is not to choose one legacy culture, but to create a new, adaptive, and resilient environment that leverages the best of all contributors.
Action Steps and Frameworks
LG Consulting shared practical tools for scenario planning, rapid “people pre-diligence,” and maintaining momentum through disciplined timelines, empowered change management, and board bravery.
Four Key Takeaways
- Mergers and consolidations should be driven by purpose, not just mission or organizational survival.
- Boards must lead with courage, clarity, and a focus on long-term value.
- The sector must professionalize its approach to change—moving from exploration to action.
- New models are emerging: global, adaptive, decentralized, and partnership-oriented.
Looking Ahead
Additional resources and upcoming events—including encore presentations, diagnostics, and leadership workshops—are available through LG Consulting. For more information or to access the full insight paper, contact: [email protected]