Healthcare facilities may merger with other facilities for many different reasons. Facilities may be facing financial instability, difficulty keeping up with the healthcare demands, reimbursement decrease, and challenges with the shortage of employees. Along with financial demands, technology is another challenge that encourages mergers with other organizations. While a merger occurs in a healthcare organization, many things will change in the everyday process, from the cafeteria to the boardroom. The impact of combining two competitive facilities with different ways of performance and values could have a rocky effect on all employees in the combined facility. In the following paragraphs, the impact the merger has on the culture of the combined organization, what the middle manager can do to ensure a happy productive staff, that will work together effectively, focusing on quality patient care, and what the organization looks like, such as it's systems and shape, will be discussed.
Effects on Culture of the Organization
Many challenges occur when a merger occurs, especially when it occurs among competitors. Merging two different organizations into one facility disrupts the operation and functionality on all levels involved within the organization. The merger can cause stress on employees and patients, and force difficult challenges to maintain positive results during the merging period and possibly beyond. Employees of both facilities do not realize during a merger that many positives can occur, yes it may be a challenge, but it is an opportunity to combine many knowledgeable individuals, introduce new styles of performing tasks, and introduce different styles of performance. Changes incurred during a merger will bring managers an uncertainty, a feeling of losing control over the many new faces in his or her department. The merger can cause stress, uncertainty, and