Problematisation: About 70 percent of all mergers and acquisitions do not reach their desired goals. Research has identified several reasons for this, and has shown that it is necessary to focus on the integration process after the merger. The time after the agreement has been closed between the two parties is referred to as post-merger integration (PMI), which includes the integration between assets, business activities and personnel. One reason why mergers fail in this context depends on human factors rather than financial aspects as the top management might focus on. Therefore, it can be crucial to observe how top managers and employees perceive their situation at work to create understanding of what factors within change management that can determine how the situation is perceived during the PMI-process.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create understanding of how managers and employees perceive their situation at work during the post-merger integration process when two former differentiated business lines have been merged within the same group.
Research questions: How do the perceptions differ between managers and employees? What factors within change management can determine how the situation at work is perceived by managers and employees after a merger?
Contribution: To create understanding about change processes after a merger, this study can indicate what factors organisations should focus on in the post-merger integration process.
Conclusion: This study shows that the perceptions of how the situation at work is perceived differs between managers and employees. The differentiated perceptions have principally been shown in the context of what can be considered as opportunities versus challenges and how responsibility is assigned within the organisation. Common perceptions have also been identified and these can be summarized in cooperation, ongoing improvement work and understanding of the fact that organisational changes take time. Regarding what factors within change management that can determine how the work situation is perceived, several have been revealed. These can be concluded in terms of follow-up, dedication, communication, susceptibility, willingness to change, cooperativeness and complicity.