This comprehensive literature review synthesizes three major M&A research streams — strategic management, organizational behavior, and process perspective — to reveal how human integration shapes acquisition outcomes. While strategic and cultural fit are important pre-merger indicators, they alone are insufficient for success; integration decisions, communication, and HR measures must actively manage human reactions including resistance, stress, and turnover. The study demonstrates that successful M&A requires an integrative perspective addressing interdependencies across all phases, context-specific managerial actions, and longitudinal understanding of how employees evolve throughout the integration process.
Human integration following M&A: Synthesizing different M&A research streams
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