ABSTRACT
Joining and leaving an organization signifies an engagement with the external boundary of an enterprise. This chapter explores the experiences of connecting, remaining connected, and disconnecting from the organization, and what this reveals about the dynamics of emotional connectedness during a corporate merger. It covers the issues of joining the organization, task performance, and leaving the firm. Many employees held personal connections to others within the firm before starting work there. This was particularly so for "experienced hires". As the business environment became more volatile, so did internal structures and operations. Those employees with only the latter experience of the enterprise, felt little containment of their needs for, and anxieties about, connecting with colleagues and work. The front line of the enterprise was its consultants. They were the visible performers of the organizational primary task. The chapter argues that personal connections were the most important factor for individuals joining the firm and wanting to remain employed there.
