Date of Conferral

2017

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Steven C. Tippins

Abstract

The failure rate of mergers is high, with the greatest effects being felt by the employees. Company mergers result in managers burdened with extra responsibilities that often result in poor people integration management of employees. A gap in literature exists regarding people integration resources available to managers during mergers. The purpose of this phenomenological, descriptive study was to explore resources managers perceive to have available to assist with managing employees through a merger. Greenleaf's servant leadership and Herzberg's 2 factor theories were used as the study's conceptual foundation. The research questions explored managers' perceptions of the range of resources available to assist with managing employees during a merger. The snowball sampling method was used to select a sample of 14 participants for individual semi structured interviews. The target population was managers who directly managed employees during a merger while working for a North American company. The qualitative data were collected, coded, and then analyzed for themes. The key findings were that while managers perceived they were not provided resources, managers' personal experiences along with resources such as human resource personnel and other managers' expertise were used as great resources. Open communication and information exchange were critical between the manager and the employees during the merger. Managers should focus on their soft skills when they engage with the employees. Implications for positive social change include employee satisfaction and engagement, employee retention, customer satisfaction, along with business growth and development in the global market.

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