This book reveals the complexity of mergers and acquisitions, and explains how to master it. From doing the deal to making it work, this comprehensive book discusses every aspect of successfully growing your business through mergers and acquisitions. Based on models of complexity, it book shows that complexity in business, as in nature, eventually falls into patterns. By recognizing and taking advantage of these patterns, business leaders can turn weaknesses into strengths, chaos into order, and separate, living organizations into a powerful alliance. This book provides a conceptual framework plus proven templates and real-life examples to guide readers through the twists and turns of forming and sustaining a business partnership. The authors' own experiences with companies such as Shell, Monsanto, and Lucent are the foundation for this thorough handbook. J. Garrett Ralls, Jr. is an international consultant specializing in managing complexity for effective partnering. He is a principal in an investment advisory firm guiding domestic and foreign joint ventures. His clients include many multinationals and governments. Kimberly A. Webb is a consulting associate for Ralls Associates. Her experience includes assignments with the US government, and other assignments in the US, Canada, and Europe. She recently participated in the war game for the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection and lectured at the US National Defense Center in Hawaii and the Monsanto Europe Technical Center.