System Dynamics Modeling of Organizational Identity Formation in a Post-Merger Bank: The Role of Managerial and Behavioral Factors

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Hossein Ghorbani Farmad

Fariborz Rahimnia

GHasem Eslami

Alireza pooya

Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

10.22067/jstinp.2026.100825.1223

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a system dynamics model of organizational identity formation in a post-merger banking context, with emphasis on managerial and behavioral factors. The study addressed the dynamic interaction among job satisfaction, work stress, leadership effectiveness, effective communication, and post-merger stabilization, which cannot be adequately captured through static analyses. A mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire administered to bank employees, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with experts. The findings were translated into a causal-loop diagram and a stock-and-flow model using Vensim, and organizational identity dynamics were simulated over a 48-month time horizon. Model validity was assessed through expert judgment, expert consensus, and an interactive expert interview process, and model behavior was tested under extreme conditions. Two scenarios and two managerial policies were developed to examine the recovery dynamics of organizational identity. The results indicated that a combined policy involving the simultaneous strengthening of effective communication and leadership effectiveness was the superior policy. Across the examined scenarios, this policy was found to reduce the initial decline in organizational identity and accelerate its recovery and strengthening. The proposed model provides a basis for managerial decision-making, policy analysis, and the stable consolidation of organizational identity during the post-merger period.

Keywords

Organizational identity

System dynamics modelling

Bank mergers

Leadership effectiveness

Effective communication

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