Enablers of postacquisition joint knowledge creation : evidence from joint patenting in high-tech mergers and acquisitions

Purpose: This study aims to investigate three organizational-level factors (geographical proximity, technological similarity and organizational identity integration) that influence the likelihood of post-mergers and acquisition (M&A) joint knowledge creation between inventors from the target and acquiring firms. Design/methodology/approach: Analyzing post-M&A joint patent filing activities from 136 M&A deals in high-tech industries, the authors conduct a zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis to estimate the likelihood of joint knowledge creation. Findings: The results indicate that close geographical proximity and technological similarity are positively associated, whereas the integration of organizational identity is negatively associated with post-M&A joint knowledge creation. Practical implications: Managers searching for an ideal acquisition target firm for joint production of new technologies or products should consider factors such as location, prior knowledge base and post-acquisition integration strategies. Originality/value: The proposed model is a comprehensive framework that considers physical, cognitive and identity dimensions as antecedents of post-M&A joint knowledge creation. This study analyzes joint patenting activities to measure post-M&A joint knowledge creation between target and acquiring firm inventors.