This is an award under the Grants for Improving Doctoral Dissertation Research program. It is a study of the effect of corporate mergers on social solidarity among the employees of two Silicon Valley organizations. The investigators will collect both qualitative and quantitative data through interviews and other means to develop and test a model of solidarity that integrates organizational structure and performance with members' role sufficiency, sense of belonging, affect, and attachment. The research will develop a multi-dimensional understanding of worker commitment and organizational effectiveness, during times when a small industrial organization is taken over by a larger one, thus contributing both to social psychology and to the sociology of organizations. In addition to the scientific gains to be achieved by the research, this award will materially assist a highly promising student in completing research for the Ph.D. dissertation. Thus it contributes to future scientific manpower and the thorough training of the next generation of sociologists.
