Consolidated Transition Plan

Abstract

To successfully compete in today's aggressive business world, businesses are often conducting merger/acquisitions to remain competitive within their respected markets. During such a transition, several business relational components must be considered while matriculating personnel and resources within one architectural design. Various methods and theories may assist all companies involved in a merger/acquisition plan to maximize the overall benefits and achievement of unifying separate entities into a highly specialized organization that has a distinct sustainable competitive advantage.

Introduction

This consolidated transition plan will focus on four components that are an essential part of a successful merger/acquisition. These distinct components, organizational behavior issues, motivational theories, transition, and human resource policy, which all share common features and work in tandem during the transition period and offer both the management and subordinate levels to matriculate with less stress, thus, elevating performance, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.

Organizational Behavior Issues

Issues that may arise from a merger/acquisition and the impact that it may have on the employee base within the current organization are highly important characteristics that must be addressed during such a transition. The focus will be aligned with the human elements that may arise, the issues that could develop, and what could be done to motivate the employee base to accept change, in order, to have a successful takeover.

It is important to note, that according to Stephen Robins, "Organizational behavior is concerned with study of what people do in an organization and how that behavior affects the performance of the organization." (Robins, 6) The company shareholders have just approved a merger/acquisition of the company and I am being held accountable for maintaining departmental performance measures while dealing with human elements simultaneously. To accomplish this, I needed to synthesize an array of questions. The three questions were as follows: What can you do to motivate your employees to change? What are the issues you expect to face? What are the human elements that arise out of an acquisition?

To answer the first question, according to William S. Cottringer, "A wise manager knows the important of being somewhere in the middle of the leadership continuum to be able to use whatever approach might be must productive at the particular time. For instance, sometimes change is productive and sometimes not." (Cottringer, 4) For example, communication with employees would be of the outmost importance for a horizontal transition. As with change comes the fear of the unknown, such as, economic instability, and social psychological issues.

When the workplace suffers from the lack of communication and other stimuli that could potentially affect moral, then the obvious effects become visible in the areas where the deterioration of motivation and job performance occur. The responsibility of sustaining a motivating work environment falls upon everyone within the organization. Motivation no longer is the sole responsibility of the manager, but the collective as a whole. There are Ten Commandments, which everyone in a working environment may find helpful:

* Build self-respect

* Don't be neurotic

* Show respect

* Live in integrity

* Be fair

* Value and reinforce ideas

* Give them what they want

* Give immediate feedback

* Reinforce the right things

* Serve others. (Emmerich, 69)

Management directly responsible for the success of the merger/acquisition should ask this question, what about the actual human side to all of this? Well, to be an effective manager, he/she are expected to deal with an array of merger/acquisition potential dilemmas and issues, but more importantly focus on relative transition of the employees. Therefore, management must be able to take a humanistic approach in dealing with the staff and maintain departmental performance.

Management must be capable to face employees that would be overwhelmed with fear of the unknown during merger/acquisition. This includes, but not limited, to the uncertainty of their jobs and the security of the company. It is primary priority of management to show and exhibit compassion and empathy, and to address their fears in a face-to-face method with equal compassion and empathy to the employee.
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With such a responsibility, management will be most likely faced with employees that will exhibit tremendous stress and perhaps apprehension at the thoughts of merger/acquisition transition. More than likely, employees worry about healthcare, 401k plans, and other benefits that they currently have obtained within their original company. A manager has the responsibility to help ease these stress factors, so that they are able to maintain performance measurements.

Also, some issues that may arise from the merger/acquisition are managerial changes, relocation, salary and policy adjustments, and the overall work environment. Each one of these issues may directly ...

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