Is the Merger Necessary? The Interactive Effect of Perceived Necessity and Sense of Continuity on Post-Merger Identification

The changes experienced during a merger often reduce post-merger organizational identification among the workforce, thereby undermining the strategic goals of the merger. While previous research has shown that employees’ post-merger identification suffers less when they experience a sense of continuity, the current paper explores methods of preserving post-merger identification even when employees experience a sense of discontinuity. It is hypothesized that for these employees, the perceived necessity of the merger strongly influences post-merger identification, because a sense of necessity can reduce the uncertainty that typically inhibits post-merger identification. A field study is presented (N = 144) to support this hypothesis. Finally, implications for the organizational pre-merger communication process are discussed

Identity management key to successful mergers

Alienated employees who feel a loss of identity could place financial and strategic objectives of a merger at risk through lack of drive, reduced performance, and even sabotage. Identifying and managing these issues from the start could therefore be critical to the success of such undertakings

High in the Hierarchy: How Vertical Location and Judgments of Leaders' Power are Interrelated

Leadership implies power. We argue, from a social embodiment perspective, that thinking about power involves mental simulations of vertical location. Three studies tested whether judgments of leaders’ power and information on a vertical location are interrelated. In Studies 1a-c, participants judged a leader's power after being presented with, among other information, an organization chart containing either a long or a short vertical line. A longer vertical line increased judged power. Study 2 showed that this effect persists when longer (vs. shorter) vertical lines are presented in an independent priming task and not in an organization chart, and that horizontal lines do not have the same effect. Finally, Studies 3a and 3b showed the reverse causal effect: Information about a leader’s power influenced participants’ vertical positioning of a leader’s box in an organization chart and of a leader picture into a team picture. Implications for leadership communication are discussed

How Embodied Cognitions Affect Judgments: Height-Related Attribution Bias in Football Foul Calls

Many fouls committed in football (called soccer in some countries) are ambiguous, and there is no objective way of determining who is the “true” perpetrator or the “true” victim. Consequently, fans as well as referees often rely on a variety of decision cues when judging such foul situations. Based on embodiment research, which links perceptions of height to concepts of strength, power, and aggression, we argue that height is going to be one of the decision cues used. As a result, people are more likely to attribute a foul in an ambiguous tackle situation to the taller of two players. We find consistent support for our hypothesis, not only in field data spanning the last seven UEFA Champions League and German Bundesliga seasons, as well as the last three FIFA World Cups, but also in two experimental studies. The resulting dilemma for refereeing in practice is discussed

Organisational mergers: a behavioural perspective on identity management

Organisational mergers are one of the most extreme forms of organisational change processes. Consequently, they often result in difficulties for employees to adjust to the altered organisational conditions. This is often reflected in low levels of employee identification with the post-merger organisation. As a result, merging organisations experience more conflict, less employee motivation, higher turnover and lower performance levels. These low levels of post-merger identification thus often put the strategic and financial goals of the merger at risk. I argue that an organisational behaviour perspective focusing on the management of identity levels during an organisational merger provides important practical insights for employee management. I will first explain why I am personally so fascinated by this topic. I will then present an identity management perspective on organisational mergers. Here, I will consider three key aspects: (1) Identity processes; (2) Intergroup structure; and (3) Leadership. I will conclude by giving an overview of the potential challenges and directions for future research in this field