It’s More Than Just Systems and Silos; Culture Will Be the Fulcrum Issue. Comcast’s executives have their hands full successfully integrating NBCU into the family. It’s a sophisticated and complicated leadership process. The post-deal integration by necessity includes hard decisions about effectiveness and efficiency:

• Bring in the consultants to bolster the Human Resource and IT departments. 
• Make purchase price accounting adjustments.
• Rationalize benefits, review contract compliance, orchestrate common vendors and users, duplicate payments… and more.

The process will take years – literally. It is a living hell for those involved. These decisions affect people’s lives and their sense of self-worth. In addition, if not managed with the utmost intelligence, the process will result in a teetering, sloppy product.

Most importantly however, the foundation upon which the post deal integration needs to be built is the corporate culture. Comcast needs to articulate what it stands for and its method of operating. Continue reading…

My premise is that leadership alone can enable certain companies to succeed where others have failed. Competent leaders create the direction for their businesses, manage the opportunities, and actively build the culture and capabilities required for strong performance. This kind of leadership will make Comcast successful in its absorption of NBC Universal in spite of opinions to the contrary voiced in the trade press (David Carr, NYT, 10/25/09) and reflected in the decline of Comcast’s share price since the announcement.

For years, media executives have been guided by a simplistic view of what defines success: Continue reading…