A Case Study of Leadership, Change Management, and Acculturation in "Mergering" Two Higher Education Institutions

• In Event: 56.081 - Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: 56.081-7 - Leading, Learning, and Strategy in Higher Education

Abstract

Mergers within the higher education sector are “relatively rare occurrences and each merger has a distinct set of circumstances, actors, and characteristics” (Etschmaier, 2010, p. 1). As institutions of higher education undergo re-organization, several components of change management must be addressed, looking particularly at culture as a critical change process element. The purpose of this case study was to examine why two institutions of higher education merged, the role of change management during the merger, conceptual models used in understanding reorganization, and the role culture played during the merger. The overarching question guiding this research was, What are the components of change management that must be addressed and how does culture serve as a critical element of this change process?

Authors

• Anita C. Hazelwood, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

• Dianne F. Olivier, University of Louisiana at Lafayette