Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2024

Document Type

Dissertation (799 registration)

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Department

Graduate Studies

Committee Chair

Boyd Bradbury

Keywords

college merger, employee engagement, employee satisfaction, employee burnout

Abstract

Higher education institutions were becoming more competitive due to meeting the needs of changing demographics of prospective students, increasing costs of tuition, fees, and operations, meeting workforce demands, providing access to high quality technology tools, and more. A merger process impacted employee engagement, satisfaction and burnout. It was important for administrators in higher education to create and maintain a supportive and inclusive culture for employees, especially during each stage of the merger process. It was also important to clearly communicate the purpose of the merger, and to provide employees an opportunity to engage with the planning and implementation stages of the merger.

The first purpose of the researcher’s study was to contribute to previous research related to the impact of a merger process on employee engagement, satisfaction and burnout. The second purpose of the researcher’s study was to provide a framework for future administrators considering a merger at their higher education institution with characteristics similar to Minnesota North College (Minnesota North), on how to successfully manage employee engagement and satisfaction, and prevent burnout during a merger process. Minnesota North was a newly merged higher education institution as of May 2022. The researcher conducted interviews with Minnesota North employees to learn about their experiences and perspectives of the impact of a college merger process on employee engagement, satisfaction, and burnout.

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