Chapter 3: Planning and Merger Integration: Scrutinizing the Dynamics of Value Judgments in the Public Sector

Planning is very salient to the practice of merger integration; however, it has been marginalized in recent organizational research. Moreover, whereas the literature on mergers has given little attention to planning, the latter is a central activity in public management. In this chapter, we examine the dynamics of merger planning, generally, and specifically in the context of the public sector. The study is positioned at the nexus of the literatures on merger integration, planning, and public management. It scrutinizes the dynamics of planning by focusing on the role of value judgments in shaping this activity. The analysis uses case-based material to outline and illustrate themes in merger integration that matter to planning and the public sector. The chapter offers two readings of integration planning in this case. The first shorter reading presents an overview of the dynamics unfolding in this study by juxtaposing them against respective themes in the literature on merger planning. The second, more detailed reading focuses on dynamics specific to the public sector. The analysis shows how contextual value judgments shape participants’ views on planning, specifically through the legacies of managerialism, public choice theory, and public participation. It identifies and illustrates three respective overarching themes that matter to public sector mergers: the planning ethic, the fear of capture, and the normativity of consultation. While these themes have constructive effects on merger integration, they also have constraining effects with implications for learning, (mis)trust and communication. The work concludes by outlining an agenda for future research.