Winning Mergers!

An announcement of a sale of a company and the first meeting with the new management is a scenario that hundreds of thousands of workers have encountered. Layoffs, pay reductions, new assignments, and additional responsibilities are all possibilities in the name of the strategic and financial objectives of the merger. Traditional approaches to evaluating mergers typically focus on internal and external financial measures, the degree of integration and strategic fit, the appropriateness of purchase prices, and, most commonly, the ability of merged organizations to manage the "human element." However, as this book discusses, important factors regarding the degree of financial performance of organizations that engage in mergers include managing the relationship between merger survivors perceptions of trust and hope in the organization and their organizational commitment.