A Complete Guide to Integration Strategy in Business

Vertical integration is the practice of acquiring different pieces along a supply chain that a company does not currently manage. Horizontal integration is the practice of acquiring similar companies to further master what it already does. Vertical integration makes a company broader while horizontal integration may help it penetrate a specific market further. A successful integration strategy involves looking across the entirety of both companies involved in a deal and converting the acquisition strategy into specific strategies for all areas of the organization. In this sense, there’s no one-size-fits-all for each part of the new enterprise or even for each deal. The degree of speed, consolidation and other aspects of an integration strategy can and often does vary, and some areas may not be integrated at all.

Tools that prioritize in-person or remote service or offer stripped-down features to one cohort of users can leave customers feeling like they’re getting less than what they paid for and are less likely to return. Before our world was as interconnected as it is today, businesses could get by with a mix of digital tools and analog systems, or small stacks or constellations of tools that performed a few crucial functions like email and bookkeeping. In addition to those potential obstacles, creating a larger company may result in increased bureaucracy and reduced flexibility. There is also a significant chance of failure if there isn’t synergistic energy between the two companies and their cultures clash.

1. In addition to those potential obstacles, creating a larger company may result in increased bureaucracy and reduced flexibility.
2. The brand of one of those two companies is usually retained, though the composition of operations and personnel is shared between both of the former individual companies.
3. In other words, horizontal integration in similar businesses is when a fast-food brand merges with the chain of the related business in the other country and foreign market.
4. Maintenance workers, property managers and vendors have seen their roles affected, too.
5. Take a peek under the IT hood at pretty much any company today and you’ll see scores of different systems, technologies and applications that keep the whole business ticking over from frontend to back.

Vertical integration occurs when a company attempts to broaden its footprint across the supply chain or manufacturing process. Instead of sticking to a single point along the process, a company engages in vertical integration to become more self-reliant on other aspects of the process. For example, a manufacturer may want to directly source its own raw materials or sell directly to consumers. A key to success is establishing an integration management office and empowering a dedicated integration leader. The integration leader should be someone who understands the business strategy, deal objectives, and the current operations and operating model.

And this is all well and good – but without an IT integration strategy, much of the real value of the products being used is lost because their data is kept in silos and often doesn’t touch core backend systems. To give you an example, connecting CRM (customer relationship management) systems with order processing or billing systems can help to build a better understanding of the customer, the customer journey, and the whole customer experience. The cost of mergers and acquisitions goes far beyond the financial aspects of swinging the deal. The impact on productivity, profits and personnel in both the acquiring and the target firms is often overlooked.

Vertical Integration Explained: How It Works, With Types and Examples

The process of strategic integration involves crafting and implementing strategic objectives from an informed perspective of an organization’s competitive environment. However, problems arise when multiple business houses of the same parent organization employ the same types of integration strategy. Like any merger, horizontal integration does not always yield the synergies and added value that was expected.

What is business integration?

Clear communication helps everyone understand what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how to deal with any issues that pop up. Your data is valuable, and integrating systems can pose risks to its security and privacy. When different systems come together, sensitive information can be exposed to cyber threats. To tackle this, implement robust security measures like encryption and authentication to keep your data safe and private.

What Is Strategic Integration Growth Strategy?

Strategic integration aims at achieving synergy through creation of compatibility and interdependence across varied organizational groups, processes, and activities that are autonomous in nature. Therefore, strategic management can be perceived as a component of strategic integration. This form of vertical integration is aptly named as a company often strives to acquire a raw material distributor or provider towards the beginning of a supply chain. The companies towards the start of the supply chain are often specialized in their distinct step in the process (i.e. a wood distributor to a furniture manufacturer). In an attempt to streamline processes, the furniture manufacturer would try to bring the wood sourcing in-house.

To ease the transition, communicate openly, provide training, and involve employees in decision-making. Consider these challenges and potential risks when creating integration strategies in your organization. So, you need to choose an integration strategy that can grow along with us. It’s important to have a system that can handle more data and complexities as you expand. Follow these easy steps to create a meaningful integration strategy for your business.

Horizontal Integration: Pros and Cons

The ultimate goal of vertical integration is to become independent of suppliers and control more aspects of the supply chain. On the other hand, horizontal integration strives to eliminate competitors, grow in market size, and create economies of scale. Vertical integration involves the acquisition of a key component of the supply chain that the company has previously contracted for.

Integrating acquisitions is the process of consolidating a buyer and seller to the degree necessary to achieve the anticipated benefits from a merger or acquisition. An M&A integration strategy defines the integration targets, priorities, success metrics, non-negotiables, and the extent of the integration. Vertical integration may lead to lower transportation costs, smaller turnaround times, or simpler logistics if the entire process is managed in-house.

Strategic integration is the gradual combination and transformation of independent components of business organizations into cohesive and synergistic entities. Strategic integration is an important element in the process of improving organizational performance because it facilitates the continuous alignment of business strategies within the ever changing business environment. Firms use strategic integration to confront the consequences of both https://1investing.in/ predictable transitions and unpredictable challenges that are bound to occur at different levels of business operations. Business strategies, corporate strategies, and functional strategies are the three main levels of strategies that organizations seeking systematic integration adopt for purposes of creating sustainable competitiveness. A horizontal integration strategy provides value to an organization through mergers and acquisitions.

Through vertical integration, companies can circumnavigate external monopolies. In addition, a company may gain insights from a retailer on what goods are selling best; this information may be very useful in making manufacturing and product decisions. Consider the supply chain process for Coca-Cola (KO) where raw materials are sourced, the beverage is concocted, and bottled drinks are distributed for sale. Should Coca-Cola choose integration strategy meaning to merge with both its raw material providers as well as retailers who will sell the product, the company is then engaging in balanced integration. It usually refers to the importance of ensuring that there is an appropriate match between the human resources policies and the wider business policies within an organization. Consequently, there is often a mismatch between current human resource policies and business objectives.

This typically happens after a merger or acquisition but could also occur when forming a strategic alliance or joint venture. Horizontal integration and vertical integration are two different growth strategies that can help companies expand their business. Although the ultimate goals may be the same, there are important differences between the two strategies. Horizontal and vertical integration also have potential downsides that companies need to consider before embarking on either of them. Horizontal integration also allows companies to cut down on their costs by sharing technology, marketing efforts, research and development (R&D), production, and distribution. So, ideally, the expanded department store chain would be more profitable than the two chains were when they operated separately.

Best practices for implementing an integration strategy

In other words, horizontal integration in similar businesses is when a fast-food brand merges with the chain of the related business in the other country and foreign market. Integration strategy also goes by the name of the management control strategy. As the name implies, it provides the business an option to have control over various processes like competitors, suppliers, or distributors. Any successful business person wants to be in charge of its business operations.

Thus, IT was considered an unavoidable cost center or business expense, as computers and storage replaced paper documents and file cabinets. But IT had no direct effect on any aspect of the business or the products and services the business delivered. When the authors decided to start exploratory field research focused on complex strategic integration in multibusiness companies, systematic research on the subject was virtually nonexistent. They carried out some of the field research jointly during spring 1998, interviewing senior and top executives at several European companies. For instance, Carnegie Steele Company acquires the iron mines to guarantee the consistent supply of raw material.