Are mergers always stressful? Some evidence from the higher education sector

The disappointing outcomes of many mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been increasingly attributed to the neglect and mismanagement of human aspects of the activity and the stressful and dysfunctional impact that such change events have on the employees involved (Cartwright & Cooper, 1996 Cartwright, S. and Cooper, C. L. 1996. Managing mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances: Integrating people and cultures, Oxford, , UK: Butterworth Heinemann. Google Scholar). M&As in the Higher Education sector are less common than corporate M&As and have received rather less attention. This study considers the experiences of employees involved in the merger of two UK universities. It highlights the stressful potential of the premerger period and the positive role of consultation and involvement.