Integration Management Makes the Continental-United Merger Work

Integration Management Makes the Continental-United Merger Work

Great Business Week story with specific learnings about managing the integration of two global airlines, the ultimate complex program, United and Continental. 
See how the VP for Integration Management, Lori Gobillot, manages her day.  Key elements of her approach include:

• Leads a full Integration Management Office (IMO)
• "electronic data rooms" for critical information from both carriers
• 33 interdisciplinary integration teams
• frequent 20 minute "Pow-wows" with each team
• personnel from both airlines on each team
• rationalizing 1400+ technology systems
• be fact-based, direct, and objective
• color-coded to-do lists
• if a team hits a roadblock, she postpones the next meeting for a week and invites more senior managers to join the deliberations.