After the merger: should executives stay or go?

Executive Overview After a merger or acquisition, the amount of change and uncertainty is overwhelming. Personnel at all levels of the organization face potential job loss, financial insecurity, changes in status, rules, and corporate culture. Top managers, in particular, experience stress and uncertainty for a variety of reasons including long tenure and loyalty with the acquired firm, uncertain career paths, and feelings of powerlessness. The authors describe four post-merger integration strategies and the impact of these strategies on executive careers. They contend that when the acquirer allows an executive to stay, the choice of whether to stay depends on a careful, thoughtful analysis and assessment of job fit, culture fit, tolerance for control, need for ego massage, career mobility and potential opportunities.