Merging, partnering, and restructuring: coping with the culture clashes

Turmoil in the health-care industry caused by restructuring, mergers, and acquisitions shows no sign of letting up. This condition will continue as the industry adjusts to government and marketplace pressures. To ensure that you can carry out a merger successfully, you should look to creating a new, blended organizational culture. By viewing a model of culture as having three layers, you can develop an action plan to increase trust and open communications between the groups. An examination of organizations involved in complex changes such as a merger or acquisition shows that those who succeed focus on the human part of the equation.