A human resource investigation of organisational culture integration further to a business acquisition : a case study in a local manufacturing company

Abstract

Through this research, the author aims to define the factors that contribute to working culture integration further to a business acquisition in a local manufacturing company. The acquisition mentioned in this case study was successful in terms of business but it left its negative effects on the employee’s job satisfaction and motivation. Therefore, this research aims to shed light on how this integration process and the differences in the organisational cultures influenced the employees’ job satisfaction and motivation. It also aims to study what could have been done better for a more positive integration. The research gap will be addressed by identifying the results gathered from the questionnaires and interviews which will be carried out with employees of this company. For this research, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods has been used aiming to have a better evaluation by making sure that the limitations of one type of data are balanced by the strengths of another. The general findings of this study indicate that the critical points of this business acquisition mainly emerged from the high element of cultural differences between two companies which in return, imposed difficulties in the integration of employees, difficulties in the understanding of the organisational objectives as well as difficulties on the employees’ attitudes and engagement, hindering the overall morale and job satisfaction. The findings also suggest the importance of an integration plan as well as having business leaders from both organisations making the new culture a top priority in early integration meetings. The results of this study suggest a number of practical implications for organisations particularly when it comes to clear communication which in this case could have made the integration a more positive one.