With mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity projected to rise significantly in 2025, training professionals have a unique opportunity to drive business success by cultivating organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) — a key factor in managing change and accelerating integration.

The Role of Training in Navigating M&A Growth

Businesses are increasingly looking for ways to support their workforce and enhance employee experience while also preparing for rapid change marked by M&A integrations. Goldman Sachs is projecting a 20% rise in M&A activity in 2025, fueled, in part, by a backlog of deal-making. This surge in corporate integrations will come with an increased focus on how talent and culture either accelerate integration success or hamper value creation.

“Executive teams either gain or lose credibility with their boards and investors based on how well they integrate new teams, drive incremental value, and continually improve their overall integration approach,” says Mary Rachide, managing director of portfolio operations at ICV Partners.

However, the anxiety and uncertainty that often accompany M&A can threaten employee engagement, with about 30% of integrations failing to achieve speculated gains. This, coupled with expectations to win the ongoing “war for talent,” improve retention and build motivated teams, is proving to be a challenging set of KPIs for executives to manage. The solution? Training that fosters OCB — employees’ positive behaviors that benefit colleagues or the organization and come without expectation of reward or recognition.

Why OCB Matters in M&A Success

Beyond executive leadership, employees who willingly go the extra mile can make a critical difference in successful integration. Organizational citizenship behaviors — such as mentoring new colleagues, assisting across functions, and adopting change initiatives — can create a more cohesive and adaptable workforce.

“OCB consists of simple and small acts of altruistic behavior that go above and beyond what is expected in their role to support people in a way that supports the business,” says Jennifer Bockelman, talent pipeline program manager at Liberty Mutual Insurance and co-author of “Enhancing Employee Motivation Through Training and Development.”

The key connection? OCB closely aligns with an entrepreneurial mindset — a mindset that drives innovation, resilience and adaptability change and growth with raw effort. OCB employees act on opportunities in the business they may not be compensated or recognized for. For example, employees supporting new colleagues acclimating to organizational procedures or technologies can create cohesion and cross-functional relationships and accelerate time to effectiveness. This type of generosity has broader impacts that help build cohesion across newly acquired sites and business units.

While the ROI associated with OCB can be difficult to measure, research has highlighted the link between OCB and job satisfaction, leading to higher retention and reducing the high costs associated with filling open positions. The effects of OCB on job performance and team cohesion have also been noted. Broader impacts of specific OCB efforts are likely to accrue over time and can contribute significantly to sustainable success and a competitive advantage in helping people drive change on the front lines. The core benefit of OCB on change and integration is that employees feel part of the vision, rather that subject to it. Training can be the catalyst that enables employees to develop this mindset.

How Training Professionals Can Foster OCB

Cultivating OCB is largely reliant on one factor: supporting employees with developmental programming and accelerating the time to mastery in their role. People who feel in command of their primary responsibilities tend to have more capacity to make contributions beyond their job description. By helping people reach proficiency more quickly, businesses are bolstering job satisfaction and enabling employees to broaden their focus and expand their activities in role. The result is a more flexible workforce able to roll with the punches and confront continuous change and integration with more slack resources.

Structured learning and development (L&D) programs can significantly impact employees’ willingness to go beyond their defined roles. Training professionals can cultivate OCB through the following strategies:

1. Accelerate Time to Mastery

The most significant finding in terms of building OCB into businesses is multifaceted training programs to help people achieve mastery in their specific role. Developmental offerings give people the capacity and comfort to do more. The faster people reach proficiency in their role, the faster they can look for other ways to contribute and have a broader impact.

• Implement blended learning approaches to accelerate proficiency.
• Utilize microlearning modules for quick skill acquisition.
• Track time-to-mastery as a key performance indicator (KPI).

2. Offer Personalized Learning Pathways

Giving employees choice in their learning has been demonstrated to encourage employees to step outside of their prescribed role. Giving employees options to learn about what matters most to their career goals is positively correlated with OCB, creates ownership and empowerment to own their learning and performance.

• Provide employees with learning options that align with their career aspirations.
• Encourage self-directed learning through LMS platforms and digital content libraries.
• Incorporate mentorship and coaching programs to foster continuous growth.

3. Embed OCB in Leadership Development

When leaders model OCB, it tends to permeate the organization. Executive training should focus on leading by example, particularly in moments of organizational change.

• Encourage cross-functional collaboration in leadership training.
• Provide scenario-based learning that highlights OCB-driven success stories.
• Reinforce positive conflict resolution skills to support change management.

4. Recognize and Reward OCB

While OCB is discretionary, recognizing contributions can sustain motivation and encourage widespread adoption.

• Implement peer recognition programs that highlight OCB contributions.
• Offer learning incentives such as access to advanced training programs.
• Showcase OCB success stories in internal communications to reinforce positive behaviors.

OCB as a Competitive Advantage in M&A

While competitive dynamics in organizations can be fruitful, too much can reduce a sense of shared purpose. Normalizing OCB can move an organization towards a deeper collective commitment to the strategy, as well as higher rates of team cohesion, job performance and retention — all of which support business stability during M&A transitions.

Most importantly, training professionals play a crucial role in ensuring that employees feel like active participants in the company’s vision, rather than passive subjects of change. By leveraging targeted training strategies, organizations can foster a workforce that embraces transformation, making M&A initiatives more successful and sustainable in the long run.