Ben Verwaayen, former chief executive of British Telecom (BT), was named as the new CEO of Alcatel-Lucent, the US/French telecommunications equipment group in September 2008. The merger that was completed in December 2006 was supposed to make the transatlantic group a world leader capable to compete with the likes of Nokia and Ericsson. Instead, the group has gone through a rocky marriage: the group reported a €1,102 million loss for the 2nd quarter of 2008 or €0.49 per share. A major reason for the wobbly merger has been the cultural differences between the French and American arms. The new CEO is an anglophile Dutchman who speaks fluent French. During his leadership at BT he built up a reputation as a turnaround artist. Can the new CEO end the culture clash at Alcatel-Lucent? What actions can incoming executives take to resolve internal strife in a global business? Is improved performance the best cure for cross-border chasms? Or should a new management team address cultural issues head-on?