The Potential Influence of Leadership Styles on Airline Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)- The Mediating Role of Interaction and Collaboration in a Case Study of Two Major Airlines in Korea -

This study aims to investigate the potential influence of leadership styles in airline mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for sustainable business operations through mediating variables of interaction and collaboration and is based on a case analysis of the ongoing M&A process involving Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. The total sample of this study consisted of 214 participants, all of whom were current employees of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. CFA (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) and SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) were utilized to conduct statistical analysis. The findings of this study from the full dataset reveal that considerate leadership has a positive influence on both interaction and collaboration during the M&A process. Furthermore, it is observed that increasing interaction and collaboration positively influences future M&A performance. However, the multigroup analysis shows different results for Asiana Airlines, while the results for Korean Air are consistent with those of the full dataset. The results of this study are expected to provide valuable contributions to companies planning strategic business expansion, especially regarding the sustainability of successful M&A in the future.