When organizations merge, sourcing functions often become a hidden fault line—not due to systems or spend categories, but because of deeply embedded cultural differences. Avasant’s Six-Pillar Organizational Change Management (OCM) Framework enables successful cultural integration in sourcing, turning potential friction into a platform for growth.
Key takeaways:
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- Cultural alignment is not a soft issue—it’s a strategic imperative.
- Leadership, stakeholder engagement, and communication must be intentional and empathetic.
- Resistance is not failure—it’s insight.
By letting culture lead, organizations can unlock sourcing synergies that are greater than the sum of their parts.
Why Sourcing Culture Can Make or Break a Merger
When two companies merge, integrating sourcing functions is not merely just about systems or spend categories. It’s about blending philosophies—how each organization thinks about vendor relationships, control, accountability, and speed.
Let’s take the UBS–Credit Suisse merger as an example of differing philosophies. UBS emphasized long-term partnerships and risk mitigation. Credit Suisse, on the other hand, moved quickly and prioritized cost efficiency. Bridging those styles wasn’t just about aligning process flows—it required thoughtful cultural integration.
In our experience, sourcing often brings hidden complexity during mergers. Even when tools and org charts are aligned, misalignment in how teams operate can lead to confusion, delays, or missed opportunities.
As illustrated in Figure 1, this complexity and the necessity of politically blending worldviews is precisely why Avasant’s Six-Pillar OCM Framework focuses on cultural alignment as a core driver of post-merger sourcing success—not a soft side issue, but a strategic imperative.
Figure 1 Avasant’s Six-Pillar OCM Framework for Sourcing Integration
1. Leadership Alignment: Set the Tone from the Top
Cultural integration starts with shared intent. Sourcing leaders must align not only on operational decisions but also on how they want their combined teams to function—how decisions will be made, how success will be measured, and how risk will be approached.
In one telecom merger, this alignment took the form of a jointly authored sourcing charter and a 90-day roadmap. In another, recurring leadership roundtables helped two teams with very different vendor management styles to align around a consistent model.
Avasant’s best practice is to form a Change Leadership Coalition—a cross-functional team of senior sourcing leaders from both organizations. This coalition sets the tone, resolves philosophical differences, and articulates a unified vision for the future-state sourcing model.
2. Stakeholder Engagement: Map the Influence Network
Titles don’t always reflect influence. In sourcing teams, institutional knowledge and informal networks carry significant weight. The individuals who’ve built supplier relationships or earned internal credibility often serve as cultural anchors.
Avasant uses a Stakeholder Analysis Matrix to identify and engage these trusted voices early. In one financial services merger, involving respected vendor managers in early planning helped defuse concerns about autonomy. In another, a long-serving admin assistant became a bridge between teams—because she was trusted, neutral, and deeply informed.
Engaging these voices not only builds trust but also translates abstract strategy into real-world understanding.
3. Change Impact Assessment: Understand What’s Changing
Even when process maps look clean, individuals may still be unsure what’s actually changing for them. Who approves contracts now? Which systems take priority?
Avasant’s Change Impact Matrix helps organizations map disruption across people, processes, and systems. In one energy sector merger, it revealed a shift from decentralized to centralized contract governance—allowing teams to prepare and adjust workflows accordingly.
People rarely resist the future—they resist feeling erased from it.
Clarifying what’s changing also means clarifying how existing expertise will be respected and integrated.
4. Communications: Build Trust Through Transparency
Merger communications are often high-level or generic. But sourcing teams need grounded, relevant information—delivered with enough context to make it meaningful.
Avasant’s Sourcing Communications Plan uses multiple channels—town halls, FAQs, newsletters, and dashboards—to ensure messaging reaches all stakeholders. In one case, a weekly internal newsletter highlighted real questions from sourcing staff, reinforcing transparency and trust.
Even saying “we don’t know yet” is better than leaving teams in the dark.
5. Training & Enablement: Empower the New Way of Working
Learning new systems is one part of integration—but so is adapting to new expectations and roles. Teams need more than job aids; they need opportunities to engage with the new model in a practical, low-pressure setting.
Avasant’s approach includes “Day in the Life” simulations, sandbox testing, and gamified roleplay. In one hospitality merger, gamified sourcing simulations helped teams internalize policy changes in a way that matched their fast-paced environment.
Adaptation is also social.
Peer learning—where someone turns to a colleague, not a manual—has been one of the most consistent drivers of successful adoption across transitions we’ve seen.
6. Resistance Management: Treat Pushback as Insight
Resistance doesn’t always stem from unwillingness. Often, it’s a signal that something important is being lost or misunderstood.
Avasant uses a Resistance Risk Heatmap to identify emotional friction early. In one healthcare merger, procurement staff who initially resisted centralization were invited to co-design the new sourcing workflow. Their input made the end result more robust—and ensured that critical institutional practices weren’t lost.
Sometimes, resistance is a form of stewardship.
The loudest objections may come from those trying to protect something essential. Treating resistance as valuable data—not opposition—can lead to better outcomes.
Let Culture Lead
Sourcing teams are more than operational engines—they are strategic connectors. Positioned at the intersection of business priorities, financial stewardship, and external partnerships, they influence how organizations spend, scale, and sustain.
But integrating sourcing into the broader enterprise isn’t just a matter of structure or process. It’s about people. It’s about understanding the values, behaviors, and expectations that shape how teams collaborate and make decisions. Without cultural alignment, even the most well-designed sourcing strategies can stall.
That’s where Avasant’s Organizational Change Management (OCM) framework and technology enablement strategies come in. By addressing both the human and digital dimensions of change, organizations can shift sourcing from a perceived bottleneck to a trusted growth partner—one that drives innovation, resilience, and long-term value.
Let culture lead—and the rest will follow.
By Korea Gilreath, Associate Director and David Acklin, Senior Director