Abstract
It is crucial from an employee's point of view to perceive some degree of stability even in times of major organizational change. This paper examines the role of a sense of continuity for organizational identification after an organizational merger. We argue that mergers and acquisitions so often end in failures partly because the change is designed in discontinuous ways and employees do not feel they are doing the same job after the merger as before. Such discontinuous change engenders a critical tension between positive and negative effects of identification that has not yet been fully understood. To deepen the understanding of this tension, in-depth interviews were conducted in a recently merged German industrial company. Based on these qualitative data we demonstrate how features of the post-merger company structure and the way it was implemented may have eroded organizational identification. Finally, we propose a parsimonious model to be tested by future research, in which the sense of continuity is consisting of both observable as well as projected continuity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1549-1569 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Journal of Management Studies |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2005 |
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Continuity and change in mergers and acquisitions : A social identity case study of a German industrial merger. / Ullrich, Johannes; Wieseke, Jan; Van Dick, Rolf.
In: Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 42, No. 8, 01.12.2005, p. 1549-1569.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Continuity and change in mergers and acquisitions
T2 - A social identity case study of a German industrial merger
AU - Ullrich, Johannes
AU - Wieseke, Jan
AU - Van Dick, Rolf
PY - 2005/12/1
Y1 - 2005/12/1
N2 - It is crucial from an employee's point of view to perceive some degree of stability even in times of major organizational change. This paper examines the role of a sense of continuity for organizational identification after an organizational merger. We argue that mergers and acquisitions so often end in failures partly because the change is designed in discontinuous ways and employees do not feel they are doing the same job after the merger as before. Such discontinuous change engenders a critical tension between positive and negative effects of identification that has not yet been fully understood. To deepen the understanding of this tension, in-depth interviews were conducted in a recently merged German industrial company. Based on these qualitative data we demonstrate how features of the post-merger company structure and the way it was implemented may have eroded organizational identification. Finally, we propose a parsimonious model to be tested by future research, in which the sense of continuity is consisting of both observable as well as projected continuity.
AB - It is crucial from an employee's point of view to perceive some degree of stability even in times of major organizational change. This paper examines the role of a sense of continuity for organizational identification after an organizational merger. We argue that mergers and acquisitions so often end in failures partly because the change is designed in discontinuous ways and employees do not feel they are doing the same job after the merger as before. Such discontinuous change engenders a critical tension between positive and negative effects of identification that has not yet been fully understood. To deepen the understanding of this tension, in-depth interviews were conducted in a recently merged German industrial company. Based on these qualitative data we demonstrate how features of the post-merger company structure and the way it was implemented may have eroded organizational identification. Finally, we propose a parsimonious model to be tested by future research, in which the sense of continuity is consisting of both observable as well as projected continuity.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33644617666&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2005.00556.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2005.00556.x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33644617666
VL - 42
SP - 1549
EP - 1569
JO - Journal of Management Studies
JF - Journal of Management Studies
SN - 0022-2380
IS - 8
ER -