Special issue on organizational change, social viability and performance: models, constructs and empirical advances in M&A research

Citation

(2013), "Special issue on organizational change, social viability and performance: models, constructs and empirical advances in M&A research", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 26 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jocm.2013.02326baa.003

Special issue on organizational change, social viability and performance: models, constructs and empirical advances in M&A research

Guest Editors:

Rosa Caiazza, Parthenope University of Naples (rosa.caiazza@uniparthenope.it)Daniel Dauber, University of Warwick (d.dauber@warwick.ac.uk)

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have not only shown to be one of the most popular market entry strategies in the past, but also one of the most frequently studied contexts for several disciplines that investigate into organizational change. This, however, seems to have created a fragmentation of knowledge about such change processes resulting in a multiplicity of models, constructs, measurement techniques, research findings and conclusions. This appears particularly true for research about M&A performance, socio-cultural integration and acculturation strategies related to national or organizational culture differences.

Several studies have highlighted that culture has a crucial impact on the successfulness of mergers and acquisitions (Cartwright and Cooper, 1993; Chatterjee et al., 1992; Child et al.; 2001; Datta, 1991; Fink and Holden, 2007; Hurt and Hurt, 2005; Larsson and Lubatkin, 2001; Lupina- Wegener et al., 2011; Olie, 1994; Weber, 1996; Weber, et al., 1996; etc.). However, it remains unclear ``how'' (Teerikangas and Very, 2006). More recent reviews of the field (e.g. Dauber, 2012, Weber et al., 2011) have highlighted that models, constructs, variables and measurement techniques, significantly differ between studies and that resolving the apparent dissent in the literature requires further exploration and a more fine-grained analysis. In particular dynamic and holistic configuration models (Tsui et al., 2007), which account for changes and complexity in organizations (Dauber et al., 2012) and the application of thorough and well-founded quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methodology, appears particularly important for synthesis and further development of M&A research as a multidisciplinary field. This special issue accounts for what Magala (2012) describes as the ``evolution of academic division of research domains'', a process, which the M&A field has gone through, partly unnoticed, since several years now.

Manuscripts submitted to this issue should aim at identifying, advancing and synthesizing knowledge about organizational change and the social viability of M&As from different disciplines. We therefore invite papers that relate to at least one of the following broader topics:

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  Impact of different facets of acculturation/integration on success of organizational change

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  Approaches to/constructs of measuring performance of organizational change: strategic vs financial vs operative goals

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  Empirical case studies on mergers and acquisitions applying a methodology, which accounts for multiple perspectives in such change processes, e.g. acquirer vs target

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  Cultural hybridization processes

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  Individual strategies to cope with psychological stress caused by mergers and acquisitions

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  Subversive behavior/open resistance in change processes by employees, middle managers and/or top managers

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  Management of hostility in change processes

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  Management of cultural diversity and social complexity in change processes

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  Impact of institutional factors on M&As; role of intra-organizational political power and legitimacy in M&As

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  Organizational paradigm shifts in M&As

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  Papers developing a configuration model or a meta-theory of corporate change in M&As

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  Empirical or theoretical papers dealing with perceived paradoxes and the role of organizational intelligences in change processes.

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  Shifts in organizational communication/discourse and use of language in M&As.

The Guest Editors particularly encourage submissions of empirical and conceptual/theoretical nature, which apply an interdisciplinary approach and/or use a less researched context (country, acquisition, etc.). Thus, also studies incorporating a sound and well-founded mixed-method design are welcome. We would like to receive the proposed paper abstracts (maximum 1,000 words, following the usual Emerald structure for abstracts) before 30 June 2013. The authors of accepted proposals should submit the papers via ScholarOne's Manuscript Central http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jocm before 1 September 2013. Full submission instructions can be found on the author guidelines site at: www.emeraldinsight.com/products/ journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=jocm; please read through these instructions before submitting your paper. As a guide, articles should be between 3,000 and 6,000 words in length. A title of not more than eight words should be provided.

References

Cartwright, S. and Cooper, C.L. (1993), ``The role of culture compatibility in successful organizational marriage'', Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 57-70.Chatterjee, S., Lubatkin, M.H., Schweiger, D.M. and Weber, Y. (1992), ``Cultural differences and shareholder value in related mergers: linking equity and human capital'', Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 13 No. 5, pp. 319-34.Child, J., Faulkner, D. and Pitkethly, R. (2001), The Management of International Acquisitions, Oxford University Press, Oxford.Datta, D.K. (1991), ``Organizational fit and acquisition performance: effects of post-acquisition integration'', Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 281-97.Dauber, D. (2012), ``Opposing positions in M&A research: culture, integration and performance'', Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 375-98.Dauber, D., Fink G. and Yolles, M. (2012), ``A generic model of organizational culture'', SageOpen, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 1-16, Sage Publications, available at: http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/2/1/ 2158244012441482Fink, G. and Holden, N.J. (2007), ``Resistance by host country staff in international ventures – a theoretical sketch: joint-venture-creation, acquisitions, mergers'', VHB-Kommission Internationales Management, February.Hurt, M. and Hurt, S. (2005), ``Transfer of managerial practices by French food retailers to operations in Poland'', Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 36-49.Larsson, R. and Lubatkin, M. (2001), ``Achieving acculturation in mergers and acquisitions: an international case survey'', Human Relations, Vol. 54 No. 12, pp. 1573-607.Lupina-Wegener, A.A., Schneider, S.C. and van Dick, R. (2011), ``Different experiences of socio-cultural integration: a European merger in Mexico'', Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 65-89.Magala, S. (2012), ``Shifting sands of research domains, migrating knowledge clouds and academic journals as Zeppelins (Editorial considerations in mid-2012)'', Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 360-3.Olie, R. (1994), ``Shades of culture and Institutions in international mergers'', Organization Studies, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 381-405.Tsui, A.S., Nifadkar, S.S. and Ou, A.Y. (2007), ``Cross-national, cross- cultural organizational behavior research: advances, gaps, and recommendations'', Journal of Management, Vol. 33, pp. 426-78.Weber, Y. (1996), ``Corporate cultural fit and performance in mergers and acquisitions'', Human Relations, Vol. 49 No. 9, pp. 1181-202.Weber, Y. and Pliskin, N. (1996), ``The effects of information systems integration and organizational culture on a firm's effectiveness'', Information & Management, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 81-90.