Enhancing Cooperation in HEI Mergers

Higher education institutes (HEIs) have sought efficiency through mergers and consolidations. These bigger units have been studied regarding organizational culture, performance and efficiency but rarely from an individual perspective. In this study, we focus on a micro-level examination of how the people of the merging organizations make sense of the new organization’s strategy and the cooperation required to implement it. The collaboration of recently consolidated HEI is studied by interviewing 18 employees with different positions. We applied systematic methodology for conducting qualitative analysis research. The findings indicate that clearly expressed strategy and purposeful goal-setting combined with a certain level of flexibility help employees implement strategy and cooperate with their new colleagues. However, the goal of cooperation must be genuine, which requires resources, clear roles and honest praise after success. The study contributes to HEI merger literature by highlighting the means and roles of individuals in coping with the uncertainty caused by the merger of two previously independent organizations.