Knowledge-sharing Behavior and Post-acquisition Integration Failure

Not achieving the anticipated synergy effects in the post-acquisition integration context is a serious cause for the high acquisition failure rate. While existing studies on failures of acquisitions exist from economics, finance, strategy, organization theory, and human resources management, this paper applies insights from the knowledge-sharing literature. The paper establishes a conceptual link between obstacles in the post-acquisition integration processes and individual knowledge-sharing behavior as related to knowledge transmitters and knowledge receivers. We argue that such an angle offers important insights to explaining the high failure rate in acquisitions. Descriptors: post-acquisition integration, acquisition failure, individual knowledge-sharing behavior