ABSTRACT
C orporate mergers and stepfamily marriages are two examples of a ubiquitous social phenomenon: the merger of formerly separate groups into a single organizational structure. In each case, members of two groups are asked to extend their boundaries to include another group that has its own history, a different identity, and a previously established set of relationships among its members. Each group comes with a leadership structure and a set of norms, often peculiar to that group, that regulated members' behavior prior to the merger. Mergers in corporate and family contexts also frequently require that the members of at least one group forsake their previous identity as symbolized, for example, by a change in name, in venue, and, more generally, in their culture. The present chapter examines the role of group identity in establishing harmony and commitment in corporate mergers and stepfamilies and considers the factors that may inhibit or promote the achievement of a common ingroup identity (see also Terry, Chapter 15 of this volume & van Knippenberg & van Leeuwen, Chapter 16 of this volume).
