Quantum Physics, Chemistry, and Biology Reveal M&A Insights: Metaphor Analysis for People and Cultural Change Management
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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to provide new perspectives on organizational change management and development from the triangulation of scientific views, specifically on the phenomena of mergers and acquisitions (M&As). The deep relationship between subculture and corporate culture has been explored to support change management in the people dimension of an organization. Multidisciplinary methodology has been used in the research design with metaphor analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews, and metaphor analysis has been applied to the literature review in order to compare three scientific views (physics, chemistry, and biology) for a deeper understanding of M&A phenomena. The data collection for the interviews was conducted with 21 employees who experienced M&A integration in a multinational company in electronics manufacturing in Thailand. The results from the metaphor analysis and the interviews indicate key findings regarding people-entropy management, employee development needs, and learning mechanisms for coping with M&As. This study reveals beneficial insights for business M&As by looking deeply into nature, leading to new perspectives for organizational change management.
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