Senior Moment Or Vital Stimulus? : The Role of Organizational Unlearning in Post-Acquisition Integration
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2010-09-13
Author(s)
Abstract
M&A, often pursued for learning and knowledge acquisition motives, frequently fall short of delivering on their initial promises due to failures during post-acquisition integration. As yet, we still lack knowledge concerning how organizational misfit can be reconciled during integration. While learning has been considered important, in this paper, we spotlight the flipside of the coin and explore the role of organizational unlearning. We argue that organizational unlearning is essential to pave the way for new knowledge to be accumulated; especially in cases of fundamental differences in belief systems organizational unlearning fosters post-acquisition performance. To test our hypotheses, we collected data for a sample of German M&A transactions between 2005 and 2008 and conducted preliminary analyses. The study mainly contributes to research on (un-)learning in M&A.
Language
English
Keywords
Organizational Learning
Organizational Unlearning
Knowledge Transfer/Replication
Mergers & Acquisitions
Survey Research
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Book title
Strategic Management at the Crossroads
Publisher
SMS Strategic Management Society
Publisher place
Chicago
Start page
8
Event Title
30th Strategic Management Society (SMS) Annual International Conference 2010
Event Location
Rome, Italy
Event Date
12.-15.09.2010
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
61792