Twenty-third International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

Institutional mergers and consolidations require well-planned and strategic organizational change and include an examination of organizational culture and the process of acculturation. While there has been research on various aspects of higher education mergers, there has been little on the process of integrating institutional cultures. Compounding the challenge further is that the degree of assimilation among institutions is variable. Research in this area is limited and the purpose of a case study was to examine why two institutions of higher education merged, the role of change management during a merger, conceptual models in understanding reorganization, and the role that culture plays during a merger. Given the economic conditions in higher education, interest in mergers is growing and information on change management and the cultural assimilation of individuals involved in a merger will be of value to state boards of education, policymakers within the states, and higher administration in colleges and universities across the national and globe.