Disconnected from strategy—administrative staff experiences during a university merger

Strategic leadership in universities is a balancing act between academic and managerial perspectives as well as internal and external realities. In this article, we focus on the experiences of administrative staff during a university merger. By analysing qualitative survey data, we show how misalignment between the strategic focus of the organization and the needs of people management can lead to a disconnect between strategic leadership and the operational realities of university administration. This study contributes to the study of strategic leadership and organizational mergers in universities with a particular focus on administrative staff.