Potential Synergy Realization Seen Through Multiple Lenses

On the 1st of May 2012, two FrieslandCampina business units merged into the new business unit Branded Netherlands. The strategic objective of this merger was to maximize synergies between both business units by increasing the efficiency of the back office, reducing the cost per unit by integrating sales and marketing, and decreasing administrative overhead. By conducting an intrinsic single-­‐case study research, in which we collected data with survey, we explored how different antecedents such as combination potential, management style similarity and employee resistance, which were derived from our literature review, influence the potential synergy realization of this particular merger. This helps us explain how multiple theoretical lenses from the fields of HRM, strategic management and organizational research provide possible explanations for the potential success of this merger.