Earticle

초록

영어

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been a popular strategy for organizational growth in the world of business. Despite their popularity, more than sixty percent of M&As fail. Research suggests that one of the biggest reasons for such high failure rates is the culture clash taking place during the process of organizational integration. This article examines a unique case of integrating three organizational identities into one in a cross-cultural context. Alcan Taihan Aluminum (ATA) was created when Alcan, a Canadian multinational corporation, merged with Taihan in Korea in 1999. Later on, ATA acquired Koralu, Taihan’s former competitor. The culture clash between the North American expatriates and the Korean managers and employees was characterized as a clash between two organizational cultures: ‘lead and support’ and ‘control and command.’
Alcan’s management practices were rooted in North America, reflecting its cultural orientations such as high individualism, low uncertainty avoidance, and low power distance. On the other hand, the management practices from Taihan and Koralu were rooted in Korean culture characterized by low individualism, high uncertainty avoidance, and high power distance. There were other problems that had to be overcome as well, including problems in communication caused by differences in the first language of the expatriate managers and the Korean employees. Based on interview and archival data, this research examined the effective integration strategies and practices that helped ATA overcome the cultural clash during the first three years of their operation.
We also discussed the potential problems and managerial challenges that had emerged during the process of cultural integration.

목차

Abstract
 Background Information about ATA
 ATA’s Global Identity
 Mixed Feelings among Koreans
 Culture Clash
 ORGANIZATIONAL INTERVENTIONS
 Extensive Training
 Redesigning Organizational Structure
 Change in the Incentive System
 Improvement in Communication
 Changes in Physical Settings
 Responses from Koreans to the Changes
 Problems, Challenges, and Future Prospects
 REFERENCES

키워드

저자

• SANG HOON NAM
• YOUNG WIE HAN

참고문헌

발행기관

간행물

표지보기 관심저널 등록

• 간행물명

  Acta Koreana

• 간기

  반년간

• pISSN

  1520-7412

• 수록기간

  1998~2025

• 등재여부

  KCI 등재,SCOPUS,A&,HCI

• 십진분류

  KDC 912 DDC 951