In today’s business world, it appears to be impossible for companies to survive without expanding through deals that result in mergers and acquisitions. Mergers and acquisitions represent a favourable medium of growth. However, studies indicate a high rate of failure in these operations. Evidently, there are areas that are mismanaged during the course of a merger or acquisition.

If organizations make a decision to go through a merger or acquisition, it is vital that they devote significant attention and resources to understand and deal with opportunities and challenges presented during its processes. Through our research we have come to identify four important aspects as integral to a successful merger and acquisition. These components: culture, synergies, leadership and politics, each independently and together when mismanaged become the source of a merger or acquisition failing.  If we are to envision the newly formed organization post a merger or acquisition as the structure, we see these four components as the pillars of this structure.  The strength or weakness of these pillars will determine the future of the newly formed organization.  At the other end of the spectrum, the very core aspects that result in success, we believe when mismanaged can spell catastrophe for the organization. However, lessons in mismanagement in these very four strategic areas can be the game changer that could possibly turn a merger and acquisition failure into success. It is only through an analytical study of the mismanagement pertinent in these four individual areas that we arrive at answers so that we may change this dominant trend of failure in mergers and acquisitions.