Strategies for Managing Human Resources During Mergers and Acquisitions: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that many mergers and acquisitions have not achieved the strategic and financial benefits that acquiring top managers have expected them to. A number of reasons have been advanced for this, including lack of strategic fit between the combining firms, excessive purchase prices and organizational and human resource problems. This article explores the last cause in detail and provides an empirical investigation of how 80 firms affiliated with the Human Resource Planning Society attempted to manage or avoid these problems. Particular areas examined in this investigation include pre-merger planning and post-merger implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]