How organizational leaders legitimize failing post-merger integrations in public communication: A rhetorical analysis in the financial services industry

Abstract

This study examines how organizational leaders legitimize failing post-merger integration through public communication during a legitimacy crisis, focusing on post-merger integration cases from the financial services industry. While existing literature covers post-merger integration and legitimization strategies separately, no studies address legitimization in the context of failing post-merger integration. Filling this gap is necessary to understand how organizational leaders employ persuasive tactics during failing post-merger integrations. By conducting a rhetorical analysis of 26 public documents across four major post-merger integrations in the financial services industry, this study identifies both new and established legitimization strategies. Key legitimization strategies include teleological rhetoric and minimization, as well as newly identified strategies such as collective blind spot, complexity, and positivity. The findings advance legitimization theory by introducing novel legitimization strategies and extending the understanding of existing ones. Practically, the study informs organizations and organizational leaders about how to employ legitimization strategies during failing post-merger integration.