EXAMINING THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGERS IN MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS IN THE MALAWIAN BANKING SECTOR: A CASE STUDY OF AB BANK

Abstract

The role of Human Resource (HR) managers in mergers and acquisitions has not adequately been explored in most of the existing literature. This paper analyses the role of Human Resource Managers in mergers and acquisitions (M&As). It also assesses the processes and factors as well as challenges facing mergers and acquisitions in the context of the banking sector with Malawi‘s AB Bank as a case study. Based on desk research supplemented by key informant interviews the study using role set theory reveals that Human Resource Managers play five critical roles in the mergers and acquisitions process, namely: employee advocacy role, human capital development role, functional expertise role, strategic partnership role, and HR Leadership role. The rationale for the acquisition is motivated by the desire to increase market share, acquisition of a new product and infrastructure to gain competitive advantage, and acquisition of new skills and expertise through the integration. The major challenges of mergers and acquisitions include changes in the organization structure that led to job losses, synchronization of compensation systems, and stress management. The study recommends that Human Resource Managers should be involved in all the stages of the merger and acquisition process which includes the premerger‘s due diligence stage, during the merger, and after the merger as this increases the chances of success of the M&A process