IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jomstd/v40y2003i4p859-894.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Post‐acquisition Integration as Sensemaking: Glimpses of Ambiguity, Confusion, Hypocrisy, and Politicization

Author

Listed:
  • Eero Vaara

Abstract

ABSTRACT Though many studies have examined post‐acquisition integration challenges, they have mainly focused on rationalistic explanations for the difficulties encountered in post‐acquisition integration. There remains little knowledge of how the ‘irrational’ features of post‐acquisition decision‐making may impede organizational integration. This study attempts to bridge that gap by examining post‐acquisition decision‐making from a sensemaking perspective. The paper presents an in‐depth analysis of a merger between a large Finnish furniture manufacturer and three smaller Swedish furniture companies. By focusing on the sensemaking processes surrounding integration issues, we uncover four interrelated tendencies that illuminate why the frequent problem of slow progress during post‐acquisition integration occurs: inherent ambiguity concerning integration issues; cultural confusion in social interaction and communication; organizational hypocrisy in integration decision‐making; and the politicization of integration issues.

Suggested Citation

  • Eero Vaara, 2003. "Post‐acquisition Integration as Sensemaking: Glimpses of Ambiguity, Confusion, Hypocrisy, and Politicization," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 859-894, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:40:y:2003:i:4:p:859-894
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-6486.00363
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00363
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1467-6486.00363?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:40:y:2003:i:4:p:859-894. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-2380 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.