The role of a neutral mediator in structural changes
Most mergers in Polish business stall not because of lack of money, but because of arguments over who has the more important desk. Since 2019, we have observed 9 large processes of structural changes where communication fell within the first 14 days. A neutral mediator is the only person at the table who is not fighting for a seat, allowing them to speak the truth directly.
When two boards become one
In March 2024, we worked on the merger of two transport companies from Lower Silesia. The total fleet was 83 trucks, and a total of 12 managers worked in both offices. The problem started as early as the third day after signing the documents at the notary. Two operational directors had a completely different vision for route planning. Instead of profits from the merger, the company started losing about 3,400 PLN a day due to chaos in orders. No one from inside could make a decision because everyone was afraid to cross the new owner. This is a classic decision-making paralysis that we encountered in 7 out of 9 restructuring cases we studied.
As Dialogue and Influence, we entered this company in mid-April. Our task was clear: to cut emotions from the facts. We applied methods proven in diplomacy, where we do not look for friendship, only for common points. We conducted 12 individual interviews, which lasted exactly 50 minutes each. Without witnesses and without judgment. It turned out that the conflict was not about logistics, but about fear of losing the jobs of 4 specific dispatchers. When we called the problem by its name, the solution took us 3 days. An outside mediator sees what is hidden for people inside by daily stress and power struggles.
A mediator does not look for the guilty. They look for contact points that will allow the company to earn instead of wasting time on arguments.
Diplomacy methods in the office
In corporations, the fundamental principle is often forgotten: a clear division of roles is the foundation of peace. In July 2023, we participated in the restructuring of the IT department in a manufacturing company. There were 3 directors, and each believed he should manage the development budget. For 4 months, not a single server was bought because applications circled in a loop between desks. We used diplomatic protocol to establish a hierarchy of meetings. We introduced the 'one voice' principle outside the board. This is not theory from books, but a practical tool used in international negotiations to avoid blunders.
Our approach is based on what we call 'cool protocol'. We do not do integration workshops or tell people to trust each other. We teach them how to talk to each other to leave a meeting with a specific note and a plan for the next 48 hours. In the mentioned IT department, after 3 of our visits, the directors signed an agreement on the division of competences for 12 months. Everyone got their piece of the pie and responsibility for specific 4 indicators. Since then, for over 16 months, there has not been a single budget dispute that the CEO had to resolve.
Costs of lack of mediation in numbers
Our data from 9 projects shows that the lack of a neutral mediator extends the merger process by an average of 5 months. For a company employing 120 people, this means losses in efficiency reaching 18% annually. People do not know who to listen to, so they do the minimum necessary to survive. In one case, in a commercial company from Wroclaw, the lack of a decision to choose a common CRM system caused 3 key salespeople to leave within just 8 weeks. The cost of recruiting and onboarding new people later amounted to over 140,000 PLN. This is the price paid for the conviction that 'we'll work it out ourselves'.
To be honest, we are not always able to save every relationship. Sometimes mediation consists of helping one person leave the company on dignified terms before they destroy the structure from within. In 2 out of 9 of our projects, the finale was a parting with one of the board members. However, it was a planned parting, without lawsuits and without washing dirty laundry in trade media. Diplomacy is also the ability to end cooperation so that both sides can continue to function normally in the same market. We focus on the business lasting, not on everyone being satisfied.
Lack of a decision costs more than a bad decision made quickly and corrected after a month.
Without unnecessary emotions at the table
The biggest mistake in Polish business is treating conflicts in the board as personal matters. 'He doesn't like me', 'She wants to push me out' – this is what we hear at 92% of first meetings. Our method consists of turning these sentences into operational facts. Instead of 'he doesn't like me', we write: 'the invoice approval process takes 4 days too long'. When time becomes the problem rather than the person, it's easier to find a solution. In October 2024, we applied this approach in a construction company where a dispute over subcontractors blocked an investment worth 11 million PLN.
We completed this project in 3 weeks. A mediator is like a referee on a court – they don't play the match, but they make sure no one breaks the rules and the ball is in play. At Dialogue and Influence, we speak plainly about facts, even if they are painful for the CEO. If we see that the problem is the owner's management style, we say it privately during a closed session. Such meetings usually last from 2 to 4 hours and are the most intensive element of our work. The result? A clear division of roles and an end to whispers in the corridors, which always translates into better financial results in the next quarter.
