Download pdf   Download Abstract  

Capability transformation through acquisitions: the interplay between interest alignment and knowledge leveraging mechanisms.

Year of publication: 2,017 Publication:  Management Research : v. 15, n. 2, p. 148-166, jun/2017.. Pagination:   Authors: GOUSSEVSKAIA, Anna;  OLIVEIRA, Carlos Alberto Arruda de;  VAZ, Samir Lótfi. Type of Publication: Article Main Author: Goussevskaia, Anna Other Authors: GOUSSEVSKAIA, Anna;  OLIVEIRA, Carlos Alberto Arruda de;  VAZ, Samir Lótfi. Summary: Purpose – Firms across many industries use acquisitions as a vehicle for renewing their capabilities. Many
such acquisitions fail to achieve their goals, mainly because of the trade-offs involved in managing the
post-acquisition integration process. The acquisition integration process not only is an important
phenomenon by itself but also offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into how firms transform their
capabilities more generally. Recent strategic management literature has begun to recognize the importance of
incorporating individual-level cognitive, motivational and behavioral mechanisms into firm-level
explanations, although empirical studies within this vein have been scarce.
Design/methodology/approach – This longitudinal inductive study traces the process of capability
transformation in an acquisition of a medium-size entrepreneurial firm by a larger corporation.
Findings – The authors found that capability transformation involved a continuous interplay of knowledge
leveraging and interest alignment mechanisms, converging around a set of practices that were considered
critical for the capability. Only after firms achieved an agreement about this set of practices that knowledge
leveraging efforts translated into actual performance.
Originality/value – The study contributes to the literature on competitive advantage by developing a
better link between the potential advantage derived from the availability of knowledge-based resources and
the translation of this availability into actual firm performance. This study also advances knowledge on
managing post-acquisition integration process by demonstrating which managerial skills and actions
contribute to the integration capability. Language: Inglês Reference Number: Documento eletrônico