6 Why cultural differences in nonverbal language and workplace interactions create problems among employees experiencing mergers and acquisitions
Mergers or acquisitions that involve a clash of culture are more likely to fail (Schoenberg, 2006), and cultural clashes can be understood by considering factors that increase interpersonal conflict or misunderstandings among employees. Culture can be defined in terms of the objects, values, and behaviours that are considered normal in a particular country, industry, or organization. Defining culture in organizational psychology requires an understanding of practices (e.g. business procedures), language (e.g. nonverbal behaviour), artefacts (e.g. office décor), branding (e.g. imagery in advertisements), ...
