Letters - People-moving - From Michael Dempsey

Sean Egan says that mergers are largely a question of undertaking due diligence (ArtsProfessional issue 54, July 14). They certainly are not.

Mergers are about people; and many people react to merger by mourning the death of their old organisations. This prospective bereavement needs to be attended to as positively the first management issue for the merger partners. At the same time, there needs to be a serious attempt to identify cultural differences and to work with the organisations? people to understand and manage the process of cultural integration, respecting in the process their differing experiences and values. If this is not done, the chances of a successful merger are slim.