Organizational culture is such a minor factor in the post-acquisition integration process that the managers should not waste their time analyzing the difference between the acquirer's and target's cultures @ . The acquirer's organizational culture should be imposed quickly on the target, so asking if the cultures are different is Inconsequential. The proper question to ask is: How do we communicate the unavoidable culture changes to the target's employees? " The target's organizational culture might be the foundation of its capabilities, and thus a source of important post-acquisition synergies. Therefore, the proper question to ask is: How long do we have to preserve the target's culture after the deal is finalized? ". The critical integration concept is the value of synergies between the acquirer and the target: if it is high, the organizational culture differences do not matter