Organizational acquisitions are often arranged and negotiated by advisors who focus solely on financial aspects of the union. Advisors work hard to ensure that the price being paid for the acquired company is consistent with its worth. Typically, advisors pay very little attention to whether the two companies are actually compatible, which is why many acquisitions ultimately fail. For this Assignment, you will develop a Change Management Plan to successfully manage Hamilton Snacks’ acquisition of Arlo’s Granola, two companies that are successful in their own right but are also different in many ways.

To Prepare: Review the Change Management Case Study (attached), located in this week’s Learning Resources. Review this week’s Learning Resources on leadership and change management. Consider how you would apply change management models to manage the acquisition described in the case study. In addition, think about how a positive leadership approach could be used to effectively manage the acquisition. Reflect on what you have learned during the past 2 weeks about dyadic theories of leadership, shared leadership, creativity and innovation in teams, and employee resistance to change. Consider how these concepts and theories apply to the case study. By Day 7

Create a 5 page Change Management Plan that addresses the following: Articulate a clear business rationale for the acquisition. Create a compelling vision for the acquisition that is less than a paragraph long. Differentiate between the cultures of each company, and describe two challenges that might arise from the differences. Describe two specific leadership strategies you would use to overcome the challenges. Describe the types of followers that would likely resist the acquisition and the types of followers that would likely embrace the acquisition. Propose two strategies you would use to address resistance to change and encourage employee buy-in for the change. Assume that you have assembled a small team of leaders, middle managers, and employees from both companies to manage the implementation of the acquisition. Explain whether you would appoint a team leader or encourage a shared leadership approach. Explain how you would foster creativity and/or innovation within the team. Explain what steps you would take to ensure the long-term success of the acquisition.

Be sure to incorporate positive leadership practices into your plan. In addition, support your plan with peer-reviewed journal articles and other scholarly sources on leadership and change management.