Institutional merger in American higher education: A case study exploring considerations for theory and practice

In recent years, external pressures on higher education institutions, including uncertain funding, rising cost of operations, a hyper-competitive environment, and changing student demographics have created new challenges for colleges and universities to respond to as the economic, technological, and political landscape around them change with increasing velocity. This study looks at inter-institutional merger in higher education as an example of an organizational adaptation strategy, and examines (1) what, if anything, can be learned about how merger in higher education may be carried out strategically from studying the described experiences of individuals involved in a specific case of inter-institutional merger, and (2) to what extent, if at all, may the theoretical perspective of organizational ambidexterity help shed light on the process of inter-institutional merger as it was carried out between two private, not-for-profit universities in the eastern United States.;Within the limits of a single-case design, the study's findings suggest that, (1) relationships based on trust and mutual respect between and across stakeholders at multiple levels of the universities, (2) an affiliation period fostering the alignment of institutional cultures, and (3) institutional leaders' ability to practice balance, flexibility, and compromise may all be essential to moving a merger process forward toward reaching its intended goals. The study also illuminates seven distinct phases of this merger process, and suggests that a synthesized frame that considers institutional culture, interaction design, and organizational ambidexterity may contribute to a deeper understanding of the ways in which inter-institutional mergers in higher education may be carried out strategically.;The study concludes with implications for theory, practice, and future research and emphasizes the complex challenges institutional leaders may face in pursuing a merger process within a university setting where centuries-old tradition frames the context within which new innovations occur.