The Anatomy of a Merger Process in the Greater Oslo Region

This chapter provides an analysis of the merger of the two Norwegian university colleges of Oslo and Akershus, which led to the establishment of the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences in 2011. It is designed as a contribution to the understanding of mergers – as we are learning from experience. The data collected is based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews (conducted during the spring of 2014) with key internal and external people involved with the merger process. Three aspects are analysed in detail: (a) the background to and motivation behind the merger; (b) the relationship between actors belonging to the two organisations; and (c) communication pro…