Post M&A ill-health : Main, moderating and mediating effects of job stressors and perceived organizational support

Purpose – The current financial crisis in Greece has redefined the way organizations operate resulting in a dramatic increase in mergers and acquisitions (M&As). The purpose of this paper is twofold: first to explore, within the M&A context, the main effects of job-related stressors and perceived organizational support (POS) on merger survivors’ ill-health and second to examine the indirect links between these and commitment. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained from 140 employees of two merged financial institutions in Greece post-combination. Findings – The results indicated significant direct relationships between work-related stressors and POS and ill-health. As regards the indirect relationships, only the mediation link between organizational support, ill-health and commitment was supported. Practical implications – Implications, limitations and further research issues are discussed in light of the M&A context. Originality/value – The intention is to extend current stress and M&A literature findings (e.g. Cartwright and Cooper, 1993; Cartwright et al. , 2007), and further investigate the relationship between stressors and ill-health within a turbulent context, since little is known about the behavioral reactions arising as an outcome of M&As in a Greek setting. Thus, the unique contribution of this study is to examine this relationship in a double crisis context: the organizational crisis following the M&A and the financial crisis currently facing Greece, since the area of M&As in Greece has so far received little scholarly attention (Bellou, 2007, 2008).