Chapter 9: Seam Implementation In Mergers

Jean Caghassi is a business practitioner from France. He has had significant experience with SEAM as he has implemented it for over 12 years in the companies he managed.

We came to SEAM in the context of a company takeover. I had managed the absorbing company for six years and as one of our competitors had gone bankrupt, we made the decision to take over the company.

The parent company had $15,000,000 in revenue and an average of 5% profitability. It had 75 employees on its payroll. Historically, the company was a spin-off from a larger industrial concern. We had a traditional organization culture with well-established departments, organization, and functions. The target company was a slightly larger firm, least in appearance. They had $20,000,000 revenue and 5 years of cumulated losses, up to $3,500,000. It had 120 employees on its payroll. Historically, this company originated from a small workshop with a “handcraft” approach to organization. It was a family-owned business with autocratic management system.