Employee Relations, Volume 37, Issue 2, February 2015.
Purpose The current financial crisis in Greece has redefined the way organizations operate resulting in a dramatic increase in mergers and acquisitions (M&As). The purpose of the study was twofold: first to explore, within the M&A context, the main effects of job-related stressors and perceived organizational support on merger survivors’ ill-health and second to examine the indirect links between these and commitment. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from 140 employees of two merged financial institutions in Greece post-combination. Findings The results indicated significant direct relationships between work-related stressors and perceived organizational support and ill-health. As regards the indirect relationships, only the mediation link between organizational support, ill-health and commitment was supported. Practical implications Implications, limitations and further research issues are discussed in light of the M&A context. Originality/value Our intention is to extend current stress and M&A literature findings (e.g. Cartwright & Cooper 1993; Cartwright, Tytherleigh & Robertson, 2007), and further investigate the relationship between stressors and ill-health within a turbulent context, since little is known about the behavioral reactions arising as an outcome of M&As in a Greek setting. Thus, The unique contribution of this study is to examine this relationship in a double crisis context: the organizational crisis following the M&A and the financial crisis currently facing Greece, since the area of M&As in Greece has so far received little scholarly attention (Bellou, 2007; 2008).
Purpose The current financial crisis in Greece has redefined the way organizations operate resulting in a dramatic increase in mergers and acquisitions (M&As). The purpose of the study was twofold: first to explore, within the M&A context, the main effects of job-related stressors and perceived organizational support on merger survivors’ ill-health and second to examine the indirect links between these and commitment. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from 140 employees of two merged financial institutions in Greece post-combination. Findings The results indicated significant direct relationships between work-related stressors and perceived organizational support and ill-health. As regards the indirect relationships, only the mediation link between organizational support, ill-health and commitment was supported. Practical implications Implications, limitations and further research issues are discussed in light of the M&A context. Originality/value Our intention is to extend current stress and M&A literature findings (e.g. Cartwright & Cooper 1993; Cartwright, Tytherleigh & Robertson, 2007), and further investigate the relationship between stressors and ill-health within a turbulent context, since little is known about the behavioral reactions arising as an outcome of M&As in a Greek setting. Thus, The unique contribution of this study is to examine this relationship in a double crisis context: the organizational crisis following the M&A and the financial crisis currently facing Greece, since the area of M&As in Greece has so far received little scholarly attention (Bellou, 2007; 2008).
