Organisational learning through international M&A integration strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this research paper is to explore the learning process associated with international mergers and acquisitions (M&A) integration strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a comparative case study methodology, utilising qualitative data through in‐depth interviews with top management responsible for integration strategies. Three pairs of major international firms from the USA and the UK, USA and Sweden and USA and Germany were studied. Findings – The paper empirically demonstrates that careful and well‐planned integration strategies are responsible for sustainable learning occurring, leading to desirable synergies between firms engaged in a merger process. Research limitations/implications – The interviews took place at higher/top levels of the organisations. A more comprehensive picture would include other lower levels of each organisation structure. Practical implications – Based on the data analysis, an integrative model for learning related to M&A is developed. This model would help organisations, planning on engaging in international M&A activity, to maximise the learning from the process. Originality/value – This is a practical/empirical study, supporting the available theory on the subject in the literature. The research approach was innovative, as it collected relevant data from top executive board members, exploring their own views on the barriers for learning and on the ways to minimise them.