Mergers in higher education are large-scale, complex organisational change processes seeking to integrate former independent institutions into a new organisational entity. Mergers are often justified by reference to broad overarching goals such as quality, relevance, and efficiency. In practice, mergers entail attempts at organisational…

At a time when higher education institutions are increasingly expected to demonstrate societal relevance, it is pertinent to examine why specific structural configurations are chosen to carry out that task. Based on a comparative case study of three merged higher education institutions in Norway, this article examines the three new HEIs'…