Contributions of mindfulness during post-merger integration

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of mindfulness as a personal characteristic that might be associated with lower resistance to change during post-merger integration. Design/methodology/approach: The sample consists of full-time employees at a subsidiary of a Japanese multinational bank in Bangkok, Thailand, that acquired a local financial institution (n=141). Data collection was initiated one month after the first date that the two banks officially merged. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared for data collection. Partial least squares regression was used to analyze the data. Findings: The negative association between mindfulness and resistance to organizational change was indirectly explained by the degree of optimism and general self-efficacy associated with mindfulness. Research limitations/implications: First, the data were obtained through cross-sectional data collection. Second, the data were collected data from a single organization. Third, using the self-reported questionnaire survey to obtain the data can cause subjective bias in the measures. Lastly, the analysis did not incorporate organizational factors or management policies that might affect resistance to organizational change as control variables to capture their influence. Practical implications: Mindfulness training may be considered as an intervention to help prepare employees for the organizational change during post-merger integration. Originality/value: The results provide theoretical insights into the mechanism by which mindfulness contributes to the changed attitudes of employees during organizational change.