Game-Based Learning Design for Post-Merger Integration Methods: Requirements and Metamodel

Post-merger integration (PMI) presents unique challenges for professionals responsible for information systems’ (IS) integration when aligning and combining diverse system architectures of merging organizations. Although the theoretical and practical guidance exists for PMI on the business level, there is a significant gap in training for IS integration in this context. In prior research, specific methods AMILI (Support method for informed decision identification) and AMILP (Support method for informed decision-making) were introduced for the support of IS integration decisions in PMI. But during the practical application, a high learning curve and low learner motivation were reported. This study examines how game-based learning can transform the training of these methods into a more engaging and motivating experience, tailored to the context of the specific PMI case. Building on instructional design theory, game design theory, cognitive load principles, motivation models, and specifics of the IS integration in the scope of the PMI, the article derives a structured catalogue of requirements for a game-based learning design framework tailored to PMI-specific conditions. Additionally, a metamodel is defined to show how these requirements are systematically transformed into design activities and artefacts, resulting in a consistent learning design process and a corresponding data model aimed at designing a learning experience for IS integration within the scope of a specific PMI. The metamodel’s applicability is demonstrated through instantiations of representative requirements.