Collaboration between unions and management may facilitate postmerger integration, however collaboration can also be time-consuming and challenging. Using a qualitative case study, we examined union–management collaboration in the integration of two Norwegian firms. The integration was split into two processes, involving different business units. While both processes were designed according to similar principles of collaboration, we observed the emergence of two diverging integration trajectories. Whereas the first process was characterized by a virtuous cycle of trust and constructive collaboration that facilitated integration, the second process turned into a vicious cycle of mistrust and conflict, causing disruption, and impeding integration. Based on our inductive analysis, we identify four distinctive features characterizing the emerging mode of collaboration. We develop a model to illustrate the dynamics of union-management collaboration in postmerger integration. These findings expand the current understanding of merger and acquisition (M&A) dynamics to include a broader set of actors and potential conflict factors in the integration process. Furthermore, our study suggests that collaborative integration processes require careful management while also potentially posing challenges for unions, particularly in the context of historical conflicts.

工会和管理层之间的合作可能会促进合并后的整合，但合作也可能既耗时又具有挑战性。通过定性案例研究，我们研究了两家挪威公司整合过程中工会与管理层的合作。集成分为两个流程，涉及不同的业务部门。虽然这两个流程都是根据类似的协作原则设计的，但我们观察到出现了两种不同的集成轨迹。第一个过程的特点是促进一体化的信任和建设性合作的良性循环，而第二个过程则变成了不信任和冲突的恶性循环，造成破坏并阻碍一体化。基于我们的归纳分析，我们确定了新兴协作模式的四个显着特征。我们开发了一个模型来说明合并后整合中工会与管理层合作的动态。这些发现扩展了当前对并购动态的理解，将整合过程中更广泛的参与者和潜在冲突因素纳入其中。此外，我们的研究表明，协作整合过程需要认真管理，同时也可能给工会带来挑战，特别是在历史冲突的背景下。