ABSTRACT
Since the mid-1980s, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been a popular strategy for organizations to survive, expand and gain competitive advantage in an increasingly complex business environment. However, M&As often fail to achieve the anticipated organizational outcome, not because of financial or strategic reasons but because of the poor management of people-related issues (e.g. Schuler and Jackson 2001; Waring 2005; Stahl et al. 2013). This chapter examines a number of specific human resource management (HRM) problems and challenges encountered in domestic and cross-border M&As. It draws on empirical examples of extant studies on M&As in different organizational, industrial, national and international contexts to illustrate the complexity and difficulties M&A partners may experience. It also outlines some of the key HR activities throughout the M&A process. In doing so, the chapter reveals the dynamics of political, institutional, cultural and psychological factors at play in post-M&A integration.
