𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗠&𝗔𝘀

𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦

𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗠&𝗔𝘀

𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹:
Journal of Change Management

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿:
Taylor & Francis Group

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲:
31 October 2026

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are among the most significant drivers of organizational transformation, reshaping business models, organizational structures, leadership practices, and stakeholder relationships. Beyond financial transactions, M&As create profound change that affects employees, managers, customers, suppliers, and communities, requiring organizations to navigate uncertainty, adaptation, and integration.

This Special Issue seeks to bridge the fields of mergers and acquisitions, leadership, and change management by exploring how organizations manage complex transitions and how leaders and employees influence successful outcomes. It invites interdisciplinary research that provides fresh perspectives on organizational change, leadership, employee engagement, digital transformation, and sustainability within M&A contexts.

Researchers are encouraged to contribute theoretical, empirical, and practice-oriented studies that advance understanding of leadership and change dynamics before, during, and after mergers and acquisitions.

𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁

Submissions may address, but are not limited to:

• M&As as continuous and evolving change processes
• Leadership and employee change agency during mergers and acquisitions
• Employee engagement, resistance, and adaptation to change
• Emotions, biases, and irrationality in M&A decision-making and integration
• Changing internal and external stakeholder relationships during M&As
• Trust, power dynamics, and social capital in integration processes
• Digital transformation, AI, and technology-enabled M&A integration
• Technology acquisition and digital capability development through M&As
• Sustainability, social responsibility, and grand challenges in M&A activities
• M&As as drivers of economic, social, and environmental value creation
• New theoretical perspectives and innovative research approaches in M&A studies

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Despite extensive research, mergers and acquisitions continue to face high failure and underperformance rates. As organizations operate in increasingly complex environments characterized by technological disruption, globalization shifts, and growing stakeholder expectations, understanding leadership and change processes has become more critical than ever.

This Special Issue aims to generate actionable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers by exploring how organizations can successfully navigate M&A-driven transformation while balancing strategic objectives with human and societal considerations.

𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀

David Kroon
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

Olimpia Meglio
University of Naples "Federico II", Italy

Nicola Mirc
Toulouse School of Management, France

Audrey Rouzies
Toulouse School of Management, France

Satu Teerikangas
Turku University, Finland

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

• Submission opening date: 1 August 2026
• Full manuscript submission deadline: 31 October 2026
• All submissions will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process.
• Manuscripts should follow the Journal of Change Management author guidelines.
• Original and unpublished research only will be considered.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹

Journal of Change Management publishes high-quality research on organizational change, leadership, transformation, strategy implementation, and management practices that help organizations adapt to evolving business environments.

𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘂 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 — 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

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