The University of Johannesburg merger: Academics experience of the pre-merger phase

Goldman, Geoff A.; Tonder, Chris Van

doi:10.4102/ac.v6i1.105

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Mergers were found to be stressful life-events, even if the merging institutions are culturally similar (Cartwright & Cooper, 1993). This supports Goldman and Van Tonder's (2006) findings.…”

Section: Organisational Restructuring and The Psychological Contractsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Mergers are extreme forms of organisational change and change is often perceived by employees as threatening, due to employees' fear of losing security. Goldman and Van Tonder (2006) claim that most mergers do not achieve the goals originally intended.…”

Section: Organisational Restructuring and The Psychological Contractmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With regards to the psychological experiences of academic staff in institutions that either have been merged or are in the process of merging, little research had been undertaken in South Africa up to 2002 (Hay & Fourie, 2002). Recent research at the University of Johannesburg (a recently-merged university) showed that in the pre-merger phase employees react with fear and uncertainty, although the reaction does subside if more information is made available and processes are formalised in a transparent way (Goldman & Van Tonder, 2006).…”

Section: Organisational Restructuring and The Psychological Contractmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organisational commitment in the era of the new psychological contract

Theron¹,

Dodd

2011

SAJEMS

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The aim of this study was to investigate organisational commitment in an organisation that had recently experienced organisational restructuring (a merger). The psychological contract that exists between employees and organisations is brittle due to many organisational changes that stem from organisational restructuring. When psychological contracts are breached, employees may experience reduced commitment to the organisation. The target population for this study consisted of all employees working at three recently-merged higher education institutions in the Nelson Mandela Metropolis (n=100) and a selfadministered questionnaire was distributed amongst staff. The results indicated that an increase in the number of positive human resource management (HRM) practices reported by respondents correlated with a decrease in violation and breach of the psychological contract, despite organisational restructuring. It was further revealed that effective management of the psychological contract is crucial during organisational restructuring, in order to maintain the commitment and loyalty of employees.

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Section: Organisational Restructuring and The Psychological Contractsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Organisational Restructuring and The Psychological Contractmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Organisational Restructuring and The Psychological Contractmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Organisational commitment in the era of the new psychological contract

Theron¹,

Dodd

2011

SAJEMS

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“…Mergers and acquisitions literature has been richly explored by many theorists for several decades. Megers are generally perceived as intimidating to employees, as discussed by Berdahl and Moore (2004), Goedegebuure (2012), Goldman and Van Tonder (2006) and Gautam (2016). Concerns identified and discussed by the afore-mentioned theorists were: job loss, loss of faith, fear of the unknown and loss of trust in the new organisation.…”

Section: Discussion Conclusion and Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of employee trust during organisational change in higher institutions

Vosse

Aliyu

2018

JOCM

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Purpose The researchers in this study aim to understand the impact of a recent merger between two high performing institutions, on employee trust and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively test the relationships between communication initiatives, human resource management initiatives, and cultural congruence and their impact on employee trust during organisational change. Design/methodology/approach To empirically validate these hypothesised relationships, 139 employees of the organisation were surveyed; the data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings The results indicate that HR planning and successful communication by the organisation are vital if a merger is to achieve the gains envisioned at its inception. Research limitations/implications Future research may explore longitudinal study to establish time of how employee trust are affected from the early merger announcement stage, during the merger-related activities and most importantly the post-merger period. The researchers are of the opinion, that understanding the impacts of change and how employee trust is affected during change is vital. The scope of this study permitted only three independent variables, consideration should be given for further research to explore the influence other activities may have on trust such as policy, government restraint, governance and internationalisation. Practical implications These results further establish the need for educational and commercial organisations to focus on internal and external relationship management and on communication strategies that can affect employees before, during and after a merger. Social implications Understanding factors that will influence employee vulnerability is important for any organisation as it is possibly the first step to understanding what planning needs to take place to foster change and consider contingencies pre, during and post-merger related change. Considerable thought and planning should be given to the re building of culture and regaining of lost trust post-merger. Originality/value This is the first empirical research that quantitatively test the relationships between communication initiatives, human resource initiatives, cultural congruence and their impact on employee trust during organisational change in higher academic institution. This particular study has further add value to change management research, particularly from New Zealand perspective where there is little literature on the current Institute of Technology and Polytechnic sector merger.

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“…According to Goldman and Van Tonder (2006) and Lalla (2009), most of the merged institutions are experiencing many challenges. Issues affecting all of these mergers include disparate organisational cultures and 'race' issues which manifested in diverse ways at different institutions (Gillard et al 2012).…”

Section: The South African Higher Education Mergersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the outcomes of the higher education mergers in South Africa: Implications for strategic management

2013

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Objective of the study: The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between perceived merger outcomes, employee organisational commitment and employee job performance in South African higher education institutions.Problem investigated: High levels of negativity towards the mergers have initially been reported. The unbundling of certain mergers has been mooted. The outcomes of these mergers must therefore be evaluated.Methodology: A total of 329 questionnaires were collected from academic and non-academic staff at three comprehensive universities. Descriptive statistics were calculated and multiple regression analysis was conducted.Findings: The empirical results show, amongst other things, that (1) perceptions about merger goal success are significantly related to the organisational commitment and job performance intentions of employees, (2) organisational commitment levels are average and should be increased, (3) perceptions about workload fairness are significantly related to the organisational commitment of employees, and (4) employees have experienced an increased workload.Value of study: The study emphasises the necessity of the continual management of merger goal successes, workload distributions, and administration processes and resources (especially an empowered staff) in the pursuit of stable educational environments in these institutions.Conclusion: Managers of higher education institutions should pursue prudent strategic financial spending and continuously manage the job performance intent and organisational commitment of their staff members. If this is not done, positive perceptions of merger successes could decrease. Such a situation could perpetuate unstable conditions at already affected merged institutions and even cause stable ones to deteriorate.

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The University of Johannesburg merger: Academics experience of the pre-merger phase

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Organisational commitment in the era of the new psychological contract

Organisational commitment in the era of the new psychological contract

Determinants of employee trust during organisational change in higher institutions

Assessing the outcomes of the higher education mergers in South Africa: Implications for strategic management

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