The merger of Anchor Hospital and Saint Mary’s Hospital is a significant strategic initiative to enhance healthcare provision, operational sustainability, and workforce performance. Leveraging insights from recent international research, this brief provides evidence-based guidance on best practices and pitfalls to avoid. It articulates HR’s essential role, recommends a model for managing workforce integration, and prescribes actionable first steps for relationship-building during this transformation. The overarching goal is to ensure that the merged entity supports quality patient care, staff satisfaction, and organizational resilience.
Best Practice: Proactive, Participatory Change Management Centered on Job Satisfaction
Emerging research consistently highlights the importance of engaging employees early and often throughout the merger process. Studies show that mergers, while offering potential financial and clinical efficiencies, can also trigger anxiety, reduced job satisfaction, and increased staff turnover if human factors are neglected (Cerezo-Espinosa de los Monteros et al., 2021; Ilea et al., 2024). Rotea et al. (2023) demonstrate that HRM practices such as targeted reward systems, career development support, and participative forums directly bolster organizational performance and staff retention, especially during periods of significant change. A primary strategy for excellence involves conducting consistent, systematic assessments of employee contentment and organizational atmosphere, using reliable tools such as those validated by Ilea et al. (2024). These assessments should inform ongoing decision-making and provide early warnings of dissatisfaction or disengagement, allowing management to address issues proactively.
HR’s Primary Strategic Role: Steward and Communicator During Change
Drawing on the latest empirical research, HR’s primary role during the merger must expand from operational support to strategic stewardship:
- Change Facilitation and Communication: HR should lead the development and communication of a unified vision and integration roadmap. According to Ilea et al. (2024), transparent, consistent messaging rooted in empirical job satisfaction data builds trust and mitigates resistance. Open forums and structured feedback loops empower staff, reducing uncertainty and enabling course correction (Cerezo-Espinosa de los Monteros et al., 2021).
- Cultural Harmonization and Inclusion: Unresolved cultural dissonance is a major cause of merger failure (Cerezo-Espinosa de los Monteros et al., 2021). HR must bridge values and operational norms, facilitating joint training, team-building activities, and inclusive participation in policy formation. This is particularly salient given findings that staff from different legacy units may perceive the change differently, affecting satisfaction and performance (Ilea et al., 2024).
- Safeguarding Job Satisfaction: HR should monitor and actively support work conditions, job security, clear promotion pathways, and recognition systems. Ilea et al. (2024) found that job satisfaction can decline after a merger, especially among younger employees and those whose job roles change. Tracking such trends enables targeted interventions, preserving morale and quality of care.
Recommended HRM Integration Model: Participatory, Adaptive, and Evidence-Based
The reviewed literature supports a participatory, adaptive HRM model underpinned by regular measurement and staff engagement:
- Participatory Committees and Inclusive Governance: Establish joint integration committees across clinical and administrative lines, ensuring representation from hospitals and all staff categories. Such bodies foster ownership, minimize competitive behaviors, and tailor interventions to local realities (Cerezo-Espinosa de los Monteros et al., 2021; van der Schors et al., 2023).
- Phased, Adaptive Implementation: Integration should proceed in carefully planned phases, with regular evaluation intervals (every 3–6 months) using validated tools to assess satisfaction, performance, and process effectiveness (Ilea et al., 2024). This allows for the timely identification of bottlenecks and adaptation of strategy.
- Balanced Emphasis on Collaboration and Structure: While full mergers offer particular advantages in governance simplicity, recent trends favor more flexible forms of collaborative integration when appropriate, minimizing unnecessary disruption and cultural conflict (van der Schors et al., 2023).
Building Effective Interdepartmental Relationships: First HR Actions
Form Cross-Hospital Integration Committees
- Multi-disciplinary teams – comprising HR, clinical, and department managers – should be charged with planning and monitoring all aspects of employee integration. This collaborative approach ensures that diverse perspectives are represented, leading to more comprehensive solutions that address operational and human factors critical to a successful merger.
- These committees act as continuous feedback and problem-solving forums, documenting and responding to staff concerns about job role changes, career progression, and workplace conditions (Cerezo-Espinosa de los Monteros et al., 2021; Ilea et al., 2024).
Launch Regular Job Satisfaction Assessments and Transparent Communication
- Deploy a validated, standardized survey at baseline and every 3–6 months to track staff contentment and needs (Ilea et al., 2024). Use this data for real-time interventions.
- Facilitate regular informational meetings and digital updates, ensuring employees have clarity on process milestones, role expectations, and their voice in organizational evolution.
Both measures promote collaboration, surface problems early, and allow for targeted interventions—key factors in preserving job satisfaction and optimizing performance during mergers.
Conclusion
The success of Anchor-Saint Mary’s merger relies on participatory HRM underpinned by transparent communication, adaptive planning, and continuous measurement of staff well-being. HR can facilitate a successful structural integration and sustained performance and morale by engaging employees, addressing cultural and logistical merger challenges, and tracking job satisfaction with validated tools. This evidence-based approach, centered on people and rigorous evaluation, will ensure that patient care and employee well-being remain paramount throughout the merger process.
References
Cerezo-Espinosa de Los Monteros, J., Castro-Torres, A., Gómez-Salgado, J., Fagundo-Rivera, J., Gómez-Salgado, C., & Coronado-Vázquez, V. (2021). Administration of strategic agreements in public hospitals: Considerations to enhance the quality and sustainability of mergers and acquisitions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 4051.
Ilea, C. D. N., Daina, L. G., Manole, F., Daina, M. D., Tirt, D. P., & Popa, A. (2024). The influence of the merger process between two tertiary hospitals in Romania on job satisfaction among staff. Frontiers in Psychology.
Rotea, C. C., Ploscaru, A. N., Bocean, C. G., Vărzaru, A. A., Mangra, M. G., & Mangra, G. I. (2023). The link between HRM practices and performance in healthcare: The mediating role of the organizational change process. Healthcare, 11(9), 1236.
van der Schors, W., Roos, A.-F., Kemp, R., & Varkevisser, M. (2023). Reasons for merging and collaborating in healthcare: Marriage or living apart together? The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 38(6), 1721–1742.