Riding the tides of mergers and acquisitions by building a resilient workforce: A framework for studying the role of human resource management

Abstract

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been a popular strategy for firms to increase their competitive advantage. Existing research has revealed a wide range of implications for the workforce and human resource management (HRM) stemming from M&As. However, insufficient attention has been paid to issues related to employee resilience. We argue that employee resilience, a concept that is still to gain widespread attention in HRM research, is crucial to organizations wishing to manage their M&As successfully, especially in the post-M&A integration. We develop a set of complementary propositions, present a research framework, and indicate directions for future studies.