Integrating organizational and human behavior perspectives on mergers and acquisitions: Looking inside the black box

This article presents a conceptual framework for investigating merger and acquisition (M&A) performance through a multistage and multilevel approach. First, human resource challenges during the integration process following a merger are explored to help explain the inconsistencies among empirical findings about the effects of cultural differences on M&A performance. It is proposed that in addition to culture clash, organizational identification with the merger has a direct effect on acquired management attitudes and behaviors, thereby influencing postmerger success. We also elaborate how organizational identity acts to moderate the effects of culture clash in M&As, thus explaining contradictory findings in the literature. To conclude, we discuss the implications of our work for future research and managerial practices.