Cultural chaos in the trenches: staff perspectives.

When a hospital is acquired by a large health care organization, there are many challenges, for both the hospital and the organization. When the differences in culture are not addressed effectively by management at the time of acquisition, this can result in cultural chaos for the staff and a lengthened transition time. In this article, a staff member shares the observations, opinions, and feelings she experienced during such a time of cultural chaos between two well-respected organizations. Her opinions and observations are juxtaposed with the lives of two amalgamated fictionalized characters.