• Admin
    UC Research Repository
    View Item 
       
    • UC Home
    • Library
    • UC Research Repository
    • College of Business and Law
    • Business and Law: Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
       
    • UC Home
    • Library
    • UC Research Repository
    • College of Business and Law
    • Business and Law: Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of the RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Waiting for the inevitable: Social processes preceding a merger in the New Zealand tertiary sector

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    thesis_fulltext.pdf (1.253Mb)
    Author
    Brown, Justine C
    Date
    2008
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10092/876
    Thesis Discipline
    Management
    Degree Grantor
    University of Canterbury
    Degree Level
    Masters
    Degree Name
    Master of Commerce

    This study investigates the social dynamics of a pre-merger process between two tertiary education organisations in Christchurch, New Zealand. An emic/ insider research approach was used as the author was an employee of one of the merging organisations. Primary data was collected through personal observations and unstructured and semi-structured interviews with thirty merger participants consisting of, general and academic staff, management, and one student. Secondary data sources included existing merger literature, organisational communication and change policies, and press articles. The study focused on four aspects of social dynamics: i) use of language, ii) expression of emotions, iii) meaning making, and iv) exit behaviour. The use of language depicted the merger as a battle that felt like a war-zone, while humour was used as a prop and revealed sub-text of negative emotions. Expression of emotions portrayed the intensity of feeling, acted as a lens to process meaning, and heightened the organisational atmosphere. Recipients of the merger such as, staff attributed different meanings to the change than those in charge of the merger did such as, management, which impacted relationships, self-confidence, career direction, and provoked self-assessment. Overall, staff felt excluded from the merger process and as a result exercised a range of exit behaviours including escapism, withholding of effort, disengagement, and defiance. This study suggests that minimising dysfunctional exit behaviour can be achieved through inclusive communication processes, transparent decision-making, and acknowledgement and management of emotions. An inclusive merger structure should provide mechanisms for staff to express emotions as well as integrate roles that enable what is important to staff to be built into the process. Additionally, as mergers are likely to be contested processes, management skill is required to defuse stress and tension, and to resolve conflicts.

    Subjects
    mergers
     
    change management
     
    social processes
     
    education
    Collections
    • Business and Law: Theses and Dissertations [401]
    Rights
    https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses

    UC Research Repository
    University Library
    University of Canterbury
    Private Bag 4800
    Christchurch 8140

    Phone
    364 2987 ext 8718

    Email
    ucresearchrepository@canterbury.ac.nz

    Follow us
    FacebookTwitterYoutube

    © University of Canterbury Library
    Send Feedback | Contact Us