Ep 315 – Nichole Viviani (Chief People, Culture and Change Officer, Global Payments)

1. Culture can’t be an afterthought in M&A

Most integrations focus heavily on the operating model, the tech stack, the systems, and the timeline. But Nichole’s point was clear: culture deserves the same level of planning and rigor. Too often, companies apply a standard playbook and accidentally lose the very thing they were trying to acquire in the first place.

Culture shows up in how decisions get made, what topics rise to the top, how accessible leaders are, and what people believe matters. If you don’t understand those dynamics early, you risk creating friction that feels confusing to employees but is actually very predictable.

“You apply the playbook, you apply the model, and then you lose some of the juice that made it what it was.”

The takeaway: diagnose culture before the integration begins. Ask what each company does uniquely well, what employees are proud of, and what needs to be protected as the new company takes shape.

2. Transformation doesn’t have a start and end date

Nichole pushed back on the idea that transformation is a finite project. In her world, especially after years of M&A, transformation is really continuous improvement. That framing matters because people can get stuck waiting for the change to “end,” instead of building the muscles to keep evolving.

This is especially true in large integrations, where the operating model, culture, priorities, and ways of working will continue to shift long after day one. Treating transformation like a mindset helps teams rally around building something better together, rather than feeling like one company is simply being plugged into another.

“For me, transformation is really at its core about continuous improvement.”

That shift in language is practical. Instead of asking, “When will this be over?” leaders can ask, “How do we keep improving the way we work together?”

3. Start with curiosity, not assumptions

One of Nichole’s most repeated pieces of advice was simple: ask better questions. In M&A, especially when one company is bigger than the other, there’s a natural bias to assume the larger company’s way of working should become the default. But that can cause you to miss the gold inside the company you’re bringing in.

Nichole said the better move is to ask: What are you great at? What are you most proud of? What’s innovative here that we should bring forward into the combined company?

“Don’t make assumptions, ask questions.”

This applies beyond the leadership team. Employees from both sides are trying to make sense of different behaviors, norms, and rituals. When something looks unfamiliar, it’s easy to assume bad intent or write it off as “not how we do things.” Curiosity keeps teams from turning difference into dysfunction.​

4. Welcome Day should create clarity, connection, and celebration

When Global Payments and Worldpay came together, Nichole’s team used Welcome Day as a key early moment to set the tone. It wasn’t just a broadcast or a corporate announcement. It was a chance to explain why the companies were coming together, what mattered most in the first year, what employees could expect, and what both companies were bringing into the future.

That mix is important. People need information, but they also need connection. They need to understand the business rationale, but they also need to feel like there’s something human and energizing about the next chapter.

“Creating that clarity in the beginning is so important.”

Nichole also emphasized celebration: celebrating what both companies had done to get to that point, and celebrating what each was bringing into the new organization. That helps reduce the “us vs. them” dynamic and gives people something shared to step into.

5. Use “goals before roles” to reduce uncertainty

One of the most practical ideas from the episode was Nichole’s “goals before roles” approach. In a large integration, people often watch leadership structures change before they know exactly what their own future role will look like. That uncertainty can create anxiety and slow down the work.

This time, Nichole’s team moved faster and heavier on cascading goals across the organization. They started with the company’s top priorities, then had each executive cascade objectives through their teams so employees could connect their work to the bigger picture.

“Knowing these are the goals that I’ve been given to do, and this is how I prove that I’m great at what I do, gave them the ability to focus on what they could control.”

That clarity became an anchor. Even when people didn’t have every answer about their role, they knew what mattered, how they could contribute, and what was within their control.

6. Middle managers are the acceleration layer

At 27,000 people, communication can’t stop at an email or a town hall. Nichole talked about the importance of tracking whether messages actually make it through the organization. Did the priorities reach the front line? Did employees understand the why? Where did the message get stuck?

That’s where middle managers matter most. They are the layer that turns executive narrative into local understanding. Without them, even the clearest strategy can lose momentum.

“Middle management are really key here. It’s a really important acceleration layer.”

Nichole’s team uses multiple listening mechanisms: pulse methods, listening groups, culture champions, site leaders, and regular executive reviews. The goal is to understand where the organization is aligned, where it’s overloaded, and where leaders need to adjust.

7. In uncertainty, over-communication is the job

Nichole’s most important advice for leaders navigating change: communicate more than feels necessary. In moments of uncertainty, leaders often wait until they have a final decision before saying anything. But that silence creates a vacuum.

And people will fill that vacuum themselves.

“In the absence of any narrative, people will find their own.”

The better approach is to share context, explain what leaders are thinking about, and be honest when you don’t have the answer yet. Even saying, “We’re not there yet, but when we are, we’ll come back to you,” can reduce anxiety when it’s done consistently.

This is especially important as employees process not just company-specific change, but broader uncertainty around AI, the labor market, and the future of work. People don’t need perfect certainty. They need leaders willing to bring them into the why, the context, and the direction of travel.