Impact of Communication on Merger Success

Q: I am finishing my MS in Communication Arts at IONA, and my thesis topic is the correlation between effective communication and successful merger results. Have you performed any studies on this topic or can you point me towards one that you know about? Thanks.

Margaret McLean Walsh

A: Dear Margaret:

William M. Mercer, Incorporated, conducted a study for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) a few years ago on what types of communication roles, messages and channels worked best in merger situations. The study involved research with company executives, company communicators and a random selection of employees. I believe the participants also were asked to rate how well they thought the merger went.

Either IABC will have the full report available or the summary that appeared in Communication World, or Mercer could send you a summary brochure with the results.

Another thought. I just heard from a client that the Conference Board has a report available on employee communication during mergers (copyrighted 2000) that might have some of the information you’re looking for.

Hope this helps,

Angela D. Sinickas