Blended Families: The Influence of Organizational and Managerial Culture in Mergers of Career-Oriented Colleges

Abstract

This qualitative case study is constructed to offer insight on the infrequently investigated influence of organizational culture before and after a merger between higher education institutions. Respondents were selected from volunteers to form three strata of employees; staff, mid-level management which included some faculty members, and upper level administration. Each subject was a member of the pre-merger organization for at least three years to establish full enculturation. The interviews were conducted four years after the merger. The methodology included having each respondent draw a picture of how they perceived working at the pre-merger organization and another picture depicting how they perceived working in the merged organization. The results show that communication, especially incongruence between administrative actions and the values espoused by leadership, during a merger process is crucial to assimilation of pre-merger culture and development of the merged entity's culture. In addition, employees lower in the organizational hierarchy demonstrated greater concern for the personal effects of retrenchment actions than did those in middle and upper administrative levels. Another salient finding is that leadership should treat culture as a constantly evolving element within an organization. When leadership treats culture development as simply another project, separated from other aspects of organizational life, it is less likely to meet with success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]