September 2, 2010

Merging companies...

In our discussion groups this week, the dude sitting next to me talked about merging companies some with different cultures or background. For my discussion topic I chose diversity in the workplace. These two topics can also be merged into one. When one company decides to buy out another company or they decide to merge different branches, it can either be creating something bigger and better or it can cause a down fall. We asked the question about whether or not you should force your employees to conform to the culture being emerged or if you should separate the differences. The answer was that it depends on each company and the situation they are in. You might find that forcing your employees to change everything about the way your company runs will terminate its success. All this merger talk reminds me of the episode on the office. I am sure a lot of what we talk about will remind me of the office. Oh well. There is one episode in particular, called The Merger, which reminded me of this topic. The Scranton branch is forced to take in employees from another branch. This is where Andy begins and Jim comes back. Dwight and Andy start competing for attention and recognition causing some conflict. Some of the employees from the other branch decide to terminate their employment at Scranton because of the crazy work environment they are forces to involve themselves with. I however am a big fan of the merger because it brings us Andy, Jim, Karen, and a few select others such as prison Mike. Anyway, mergers and acquisitions can either make or break a company. It is up to management to see fit how the companies combine one with another. This may cause a lot of diversity in the workplace and force others to work under situations in which they are not use to. I have heard that many times when a company merges, the management struggles and that turnover rates increase.  I hope to learn more about merging and acquisitions and the different steps you should take to help to make is smooth and easy on everyone. It would not be easy to have to conform to something you are not use to but in the end it might be worth it.