Resumo

VAN NIEKERK, Annelize. Psychosocial factors influencing change management: An African cross-border acquisition case. SAJHRM [online]. 2023, vol.21, pp.1-10. ISSN 2071-078X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v21i0.2279.

ORIENTATION: Cross-border acquisitions are instrumental in international businesses' expansions, even though 70% fail. This necessitates risk and change management as driving forces. The context of this case study is within a change management initiative implementation during a cross-border acquisition between a global organisation and its African subsidiary RESEARCH PURPOSE: The study explored the psychosocial factors that influence the successful implementation of a change management initiative. Also, recommendations are made towards mitigating psychosocial risks that should be incorporated as part of a well-thought-through change management initiative and process, in a multifaceted Africa context MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: To understand the psychosocial factors posing a risk and becoming impeding factors within a multifaceted African merger and during a cross-border change management initiative RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: A qualitative approach and case study design, adopting a hermeneutic phenomenological paradigm, was applied. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using Tesch's content analysis MAIN FINDINGS: Having an awareness of psychosocial factors influencing change initiatives, requires interconnectedness and co-construction, to enable successful implementation, while mitigating risk. The African context greatly values culture, relationship, trust, respect, and collaboration. Thus, risk cannot be managed without managing change and contrariwise PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: In multifaceted Africa, the importance of stakeholder inclusion and engagement are highlighted, and the importance of stakeholder and task integration towards mitigating risks and modifying psychosocial behaviour are emphasised CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: Substantive evidence enables a better understanding of psychological risk factors impeding change within a multifaceted environment. Interconnectedness and co-construction enable effective risk mitigation and change implementation

Palavras-chave : change management; psychosocial behaviour; cross-border acquisition; risk management; qualitative research; hermeneutic phenomenological research.

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