Who Goes? Who Stays?

The case study talks about the proposed takeover of Bushwhacker Mining Pty. Ltd. by Coongan River Ltd. (CRL). With the decline in gold prices, CRL has considered the option as Bushwhacker’s success in the gold industry was due to its highly skilled management team. Majority of the Bushwhacker staffs were formerly CRL staffs, which had left CRL because they did not like the way CRL was structured, in addition to its culture. The senior HR Manager of CRL, Bob Cowdrey, is aware of Bushwhacker’s management, and plans to use the takeover as a catalyst to make similar changes to other divisions within CRL. However, to achieve an effective takeover, Bob must resolve several issues that could affect the outcome of the

2. When an acquisition takes place, there is usually a lot of concern on behalf of all the company’s employees.  Not only the company that is being acquired also by the company that is doing the acquisition.  Usually there will be jobs lost, consolidation of positions, promotions, demotions, etc. It is the responsibility of the Human Resources Department to ensure

“Employees [often] attach themselves to their organization via duties, co-workers, and work routines, and the application of personal skills, performance, and career goals (Yoon, K., & Kim, C., 2015, p. 5). Thus, when a mergers and acquisition occurs, employees may experience significant stress or anxiety. These feeling are often further exacerbated by a fear of cultural conflicts, a fear of organizational restructuring, a fear that they will be less valuable or inferior in the newly formed organization (Yoon, K., & Kim, C., 2015, p. 6).

Mergers and acquisitions have become a growing trend for companies to inorganically grow a business within its particular industry. There are many goals that companies may be looking to achieve by doing this, but the main reason is to guarantee long-term and profitable growth for their business. Companies have to keep up with a rapidly increasing global market and increased competition. With the struggle for competitive advantage becoming stronger and stronger, it is almost essential to achieve these mergers. Through research I will attempt to dissect the best practices for achieving merger success.

The board and administrative staff can calm the fears of the staff before and after the consolidation by first reframing using dividing terms such as the word “us” The two organizations will be merging therefore the boards will have to come together to avoid sides. Human resource managers will also need to step in and help manage employees. To help human resource managers can create employee suggestion programs. This will encourage employees to create and identify improvements, process, and outcomes for the

Sharing information and keeping the lines of communication open with the existing employees and new employees is going to be a vital requirement for this merger. Mergers tend to leave employees anxious which create increased stress and lower productivity rates among employees (Bhaskar, n.d.). An effective communication plan can help mitigate this problem and quickly return the company to full production when the merger has been completed. Starting communication lines early also help reduce the amount of speculation employees have. Even with before a merger deal is completed employees might get a sense of what is going on through a number of different channels. This can lead to

When information is shared between the two companies it makes the whole organization better. Utilizing programs to show how effectively the company is operating can help show areas of concern. These can be accessed and addressed in a timely fashion . Because each side would like for the company to thrive, they work together . During this merger roles of the employees / department should be clearly defined . As with anything the lack if knowledge or understanding is what cause failure. As I have started before knowing when employees are aware of their roles and how to do them effectively thing run much more smoothly and are done to standard. (work by rote) .when the employee fails to understand the organization Does as well . While it s the employees job to stay well informed it is also up to management that these things be made clear. During a merger the by learning different ways of comp,eying task employees learn and management  s able to vine up with new techniques.

As critical as planning for culture fit is the need to communicate throughout the merger process. A clear and thoughtful communication plan can go a long way in easing concerns, distrust and resistance as employees are challenged to go from the known to the unknown. (Gunn). Even though, we experience many changes, the leaders communicated with us the plan and the timeline to provide a vision and clarity. Jaclyn stated, “They were all very open, if you have questions, please come to us. If you 've got concerns, please come to us. There wasn 't any sort of we need to be quiet; we need to keep quiet”. (Personal communication, September 21, 2015) Furthermore, the leaders worked nonstop to resolve the system issues we encounter and they were attentive to how this affected us. They provided a timeline of what will happen, and when it will happen. According to “Organizational Change and Development” resource, “The key to avoiding or handling resistance to change based on lack of understanding is to communicate clearly what the change entails”. (Organization Development). In addition, I believe we all experience the “DADA syndrome”. The process people go through when

Leading by example is the most effective way to produce results. The middle managers in most companies are more approachable than top management; therefore it is imperative that middle managers are on board with the new vision of the company and display this in a positive way. While the merger is occurring it is essential to build a team atmosphere, full of open communication, honesty, and teamwork. Each employee from both companies should feel as though their positions is important, and their cooperation is essential to the success of the forming company. Once the merger is complete, it is all about the new culture, staying visible, approachable, and communicating information early and often (Bolton & Lewis, 1998). Aside from ensuring employees are blending well, it is important to focus on patient care. There will be changes implemented at every phase of the merger, but it is important not let misunderstandings, or issues within the staff affect the quality of care given to the patients.

Communication is a vital element in at these stage of change process, constantly relaying information to all stakeholders including employees who might be laid off in the merger process, managers and administration. Bozak (2003) clarifies the above saying opening up and been honest and truthful about communication settles doubts in the minds of players involved the change process, which creates a “sense of security and trust in all those involved with the proposed change.” The inclusion of direct employees in the change processes like planning and decision making will promote a feeling of belongingness and empowerment, which in both long and short run will help to overcome majority resistance, because they understand the benefits to them, the company and their target clients. During the unfreezing stage, the important point in this stage is actively engaging all parties to work towards accentuating the positive driving forces and diminishing the restraining forces so that the merger and the inherent changes are successfully

Change is particularly difficult if it is unexpected. It is far easier to accept change if an employee has time to digest the news and prepare to take action once the change has occur. Some of the concerns that worry employees may be address by creating clear goals and timelines that employee can easily follow. As well as addressing the chief objective “why are we changing?” Once these questions have been answer and employees buy in to them change will be easier and resistance will diminish (Strebel, 1996).

Organizations need to be aware that within this type of arrangement an element of chaos can exist, from department integration, duplication of services and regrettably, employee layoffs. With this in mind, the effect of a merger or acquisition on employee morale can be significant to the reorganization of the new integrated health system. Identifying and addressing areas of concern proactively will allow for a positive impact on the hospital department performance, as well as create a sustained advantage by achieving the ultimate strategic goal of integrating two cultures.

The organization will have to be sensitive and available while dealing with the moral after this layoff. The remaining management team will help with communicating to staff any questions or concerns, during an acquisition important for the company to be transparent about changes from the beginning. During an acquisition communicating the reason behind the decision during the lay off to current employees in important in renewing trust in the organization. Getting feedback through focus groups, surveys and informal meetings will help employees feel a part of the changes taken place. (Morris,

Many challenges occur when a merger occurs; especially when it occurs among competitors merge two different organizations into one facility per se disrupts the operation and functionality on all levels involved within the organization. During this transaction, it is an opportunity to combine many knowledgeable individuals, introduce new styles of performing tasks, and introduce different styles of performance.

Poor Communication: The executive staff of each company needs to communicate to their employees the reason for the merger, what is expected from the merger, and the intentions of the executive staff as it relates to the merger (Siegenthaler, 2010). Employees involved in the merger need to know that they are needed and not expendable because of the merger.