The merger process is often described as a turbulent situation where cultures collide. For the people involved, this can be a time of crisis, but in this crisis there is also an opportunity for growth. This paper describes how a management group worked in a project to develop a new corporate identity during the integration process after the decision to merge. The first step in this process was to describe the characteristics of the previous cultures using words and images. After this, a shared corporate identity was developed, together with a vision, mission and core values.

The idea of this paper is to discuss a further use of the descriptions of culture made in the identity project. By using the conception of managers in the two organizations, the stereo­types, I will take a look at possible strategies for socially identity-based impression manage­­ment when working in a merged company. To further enhance the interactive aspect of management, I will use the term artefact, instead of stereotype. In the empirical illustration I will show how the management group worked with identity construction after the merger, and what the charac­ter­istics for corporate identity were before and after the merger. Furthermore, I will use the managers’ description of the other and see how this is related to corporate identity (social identity), and how this can be used when thinking about oneself as an artefact. Could managers improve the understanding of their professional identity, when working with a corporate identity? If so, what aspects of corporate identity are used when relating to professions within the company? And can the change of corporate identity be a way to improve management during a post-merger integration process?