A Longitudinal Investigation of Coping Processes During a Merger: Implications for Job Satisfaction and Organizational Identification.

This study tested the utility of a stress and coping model of employee adjustment to a merger. Two hundred and twenty employees completed both questionnaires (Time 1: 3 months after merger implementation, Time 2: 2 years later). Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that positive event characteristics predicted greater appraisals of self-efficacy and less stress at Time 1. Self-efficacy, in turn, predicted greater use of problem-focused coping at Time 2, whereas stress predicted a greater use of problem-focused and avoidance coping. Finally, problem focused coping predicted higher-levels of job satisfaction and identification with the merged organization (time 2) whereas avoidance coping predicted lower identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]