Change and Culture Case Study
Understanding mergers and acquisitions in the health care industry has evolved over the years. Health care has become increasingly complex and expensive. It is becoming a multi-trillion dollar industry worldwide. The topic of this research paper; the impact of mergers and acquisitions have in health care from a variety of viewpoints. The paper will discuss the multiple impacts in an effort to better understand mergers and acquisitions and what it means to the health care organizations culture, services, workers, and the patients they serve.
What is Organization Culture?
The organizational culture is not spoken of in an organization but felt on an everyday basis. The culture is defined by what is expected of people and what is valued. Culture defines the norms of behavior and how things are done in an organization. For an organization to be successful it must understand the culture which allows the organization to be productive. Culture defines the boundaries of behavior and performance which is the way of getting things done within the organization.
Cultures are often developed early on in the organization and over time these experiences become the “rules and regulations” of the organization. Once a merger or acquisition is completed, the rules and regulations become something of the past (Eikenberry, 2006). The rules and regulations could have served one organization well; it will not work so well once a merger has been completed.
When two organizations become one in a merger, the organization culture will need to change. The newly formed organization will need to take steps to change the culture. An organizational change in culture will help the new organization grow and transform. Once the stakeholders realize a change needs to made, they will be more accepting of the change and support the organization’s success and progress.