It is one thing to put on paper words that
describe a desired postcombination endstate.
It is quite another to bring those
words to life by translating values
and norms into action. Even when
a combination has temporarily
unfrozen their mind-sets, the experience
does not necessarily
change employees’ underlying beliefs
about how to operate and be
effective in a new environment.
Forces remain pulling employees
back to established assumptions
and routines as well as precombination
identities, attitudes, and
behaviors. So, as the months of
combination planning segue into
implementation, HR has a role to
play in ensuring that the forces
for desired change persevere.