Multiple Levels of Culture and Post M&A Integration: A Suggested Theoretical Framework

• Published date: 01 July 2013
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/tie.21550
• Date: 01 July 2013
• Author: Michaël Viegas‐Pires

357

FEATURE ARTICLE

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)

© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. • DOI: 10.1002/tie.21550

Correspondence to: Michaël Viegas-Pires, Maître de Conférences, Université de Versailles, St Quentin en Yvelines, Larequoi, Laboratoire de Recherche en

Management, Institut Supérieur de Management, Bâtiment Vauban, 47 Boulevard Vauban, 78047 Guyancourt Cedex, France, Tel: +33 1 39 25 55 33, Michael.

Viegas-Pires@Uvsq.Fr.

The author warmly thanks the two anonymous reviewers for their stimulating comments, Dr. Shlomo Yedidia Tarba for his suggestions and support throughout the

revision process, and the chairs and members of the M&A track of the 11th annual conference of the European Academy of Management, for their comments and

suggestions about a  rst draft version of this article.

Multiple Levels

of Culture and Post

M&A Integration:

A Suggested Theoretical

Framework

Introduction

I

t has become commonplace to assert that in spite of

their popularity and strategic importance mergers

and acquisitions (M&As) often fail to reach their

goals. Among the usual suspects for M&A failure, prac-

titioners often blame cultural differences between the

merging organizations (Lodorfos & Boateng, 2006).

These differences are suspected to impede integration

(Marks & Mirvis, 2011; Vaara, Sarala, Stahl, & Björkman,

A substantive body of research suggests that cultural differences represent impediments to merger

and acquisition (M&A) integration. Yet current  ndings on the subject differ in terms of the impact of

cultural differences. To date, M&A research has failed to capture the diversity of cultural in uences

that affect merging organizations. This conceptual article addresses this theoretical gap. Its purpose

is to suggest a theoretical model of the culture-integration relationship. This model helps explain the

inconsistent results of previous studies, and provides challenging opportunities for future research.

©2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

By

Michaël Viegas-Pires