Human side of collaborative partnerships: a micro-foundational perspective

The research on collaborative partnerships has accumulated a vast body of knowledge, which has assisted us with comprehending several complex organizational phenomena, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and entrepreneurial partnerships. Yet, the existing studies have not paid sufficient attention to the human side factors. We join the current conversation within the micro-foundations perspective of management and organization studies by suggesting that investigating the human side factors as the micro-foundations of collaborative partnerships can advance our collective understanding of the phenomena in important ways. This article has three general objectives. First, we show that collaborative partnerships have been a long-standing issue in management and organization studies and provide an overview of the puzzles that informed and motivated this special issue. Second, we highlight the key insights and contributions of the papers included in this special issue by reviewing their theoretical underpinnings, methodological approaches and findings. Finally, we outline a future research agenda on the human side of collaborative partnerships that can help advance management and organization studies

Beyond merger syndrome and cultural differences:New avenues for research on the “human side” of global mergers and acquisitions (M&As)

This paper focuses on research on the “human side” of global mergers and acquisitions (M&As). We argue that there is a need for a more fine-grained understanding of the “human side,” which requires conceptualizing M&As as practice-oriented processes. Drawing on the practice approach, we outline avenues for further research on the “human side” of global M&As. The research directions include (1) multilayered identity dynamics, (2) emotional processes, (3) participation and change agency, (4) resistance, (5) human resource management (HRM) practices and tools, and (6) new forms of communication

Attributional tendencies in cultural explanations of M&A performance

This paper focuses on managers' attributions of M&A performance. Our analysis indicates that there is a linear association between performance and attributions to cultural differences, which is moderated by prior experience. Furthermore, our results suggest that there is a curvilinear association between performance and attributions to managers' actions, but we found no support for the moderating effect of experience for this association. By substantiating these attributional tendencies, our results contribute to research on M&As and studies on attribution more generally. In particular, our study helps to put cultural differences in perspective and cautions researchers and practitioners alike to avoid simplistic explanations of M&A performance

A Sociocultural Perspective on Knowledge Transfer in Mergers and Acquisitions

Sociocultural factors are important determinants of merger and acquisition (M&A) outcomes. Despite advances in this field, our understanding of sociocultural factors in M&As remains incomplete. In particular, the roles of sociocultural interfirm linkages, HR flexibility, and organizational cultural differences in M&As require further elucidation. The present article contributes to the M&A literature by further clarifying the multifaceted role of these sociocultural factors in M&As. We suggest that sociocultural interfirm linkages (complementary employee skills, trust, collective teaching, and cultural integration) between the merging firms influence the level of knowledge transfer in M&As. Furthermore, we argue that HR flexibility (flexibility in employee skills, flexibility in employee behavior, and flexibility in HR practices) is vital for the development of the above-mentioned sociocultural interfirm linkages in M&As. Finally, we maintain that organizational cultural differences are important antecedents of HR flexibility in M&As

The Role of Target Firm Power in M&A Knowledge Transfer

This study examines the role of target firm power in mergers and acquisitions (M&As). We investigate the effects of the position, referent and expert bases of power of the target firm on reverse knowledge transfer. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 123 responses from 106 domestic and foreign acquisitions conducted by Finnish companies. We find that a moderate level of target firm power supports reverse knowledge transfer. Also, we show that referent and expert bases of power are particularly important in explaining the overall degree of target firm power. This study contributes to the M&A literature by elaborating on the role of target firm power

The Role of Strategic Agility in Acquisitions

The aim of the present study is to examine the role of strategic agility as a component of the acquisition process by investigating its constituent elements and effects on knowledge transfer in the context of acquisitions. The study also elaborates on the relationship between knowledge transfer and performance in acquisitions. We test our theoretical model on a quantitative data set of acquisitions conducted by Finnish companies

Sociocultural Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions: Unresolved Paradoxes and Directions for Future Research.

Despite decades of research, the key factors for success in mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and the reasons why M&As often fail remain poorly understood. While attempts to explain M&A success and failure have traditionally focused on strategic and financial factors, an emergent field of inquiry has been directed at the sociocultural and human resources issues involved in the integration of acquired or merging firms. This research has sought to explain M&A performance and underperformance in terms of the impact that variables such as cultural fit, management style similarity, the pattern of dominance between merging firms, the acquirer's degree of cultural tolerance, and the social climate surrounding a takeover have on the postmerger integration process. In this article, we attempt to take stock of, and synthesize, the findings from research on sociocultural and human resources integration in M&A, to identify conflicting perspectives and unresolved questions as well as several underresearched areas, and then use our analyses to propose an agenda for the next stage of research in this field

Causal Ambiguity, Cultural Integration, and Partner Attractiveness as Determinants of Knowledge Transfer: Evidence from Finnish Acquisitions

This study aims to explain knowledge transfer in acquisitions by examining the impact of causal ambiguity of knowledge, partner attractiveness, and organizational cultural integration (convergence and crossvergence). We test our model on quantitative data from domestic and international acquisitions conducted by Finnish companies. The results provide evidence for a negative influence of causal ambiguity and for a positive impact of partner attractiveness and organizational cultural integration. The findings also show that causal ambiguity can moderate the effects of partner attractiveness and organizational cultural integration

Cultural differences, cultural convergence and crossvergence as explanations of knowledge transfer in international acquisitions

In spite of the proliferation of research on cultural differences in international mergers and acquisitions, we lack systematic analyses of the impact of cultural factors on knowledge transfer. In this paper, we argue that both national and organizational cultural differences and cultural integration in the form of cultural convergence and crossvergence affect knowledge transfer in acquisitions. We develop specific hypotheses concerning the nature of these effects, and test our hypotheses with data on international acquisitions carried out by Finnish corporations. The analyses performed show that national cultural differences provide great potential for knowledge transfer in international acquisitions. Furthermore, organizational cultural convergence and crossvergence have a significant positive impact on knowledge transfer. In particular, convergence and crossvergence moderate the impact of national cultural differences on knowledge transfer

Knowledge development in MNC subsidiaries: The influence of MNC internal and external knowledge and control mechanisms

In this study, we examine the influence of control mechanisms and internal and external knowledge on multinational company (MNC) subsidiary knowledge development. Previous research stresses the importance of these factors for subsidiary behavior, but nonetheless they remain underexplored in the context of subsidiary knowledge development. The study is based on questionnaire data from 161 MNC subsidiaries in China and Finland. The results indicate that MNC internal and external knowledge, as well as decision-making autonomy of MNC subsidiaries, positively influence knowledge development in MNC subsidiaries. Conversely, the importance of knowledge development as a performance evaluation criterion did not show any influence on MNC subsidiary knowledge development