Chapter 5. To Blend or Not to Blend: Identity Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions

Two organizations are merging. Strategic synergies and cost savings have been identified, financial projections are optimistic, and the stock market has responded with enthusiasm. As the leader of the integration task force, your job is to make the merger work. You face two separate but related questions, both of which involve identity. First, do you want to blend the two organizational identities into one that a majority of people from both sides can identify with, or would you rather rely on minimum coordination mechanisms? Second, if you decide to blend, how do you do it effectively? These are two of the most challenging questions leaders face in the mergers ...

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