Publications

Journal Article

The authors conducted a real-time field study of a post-acquisition integration process. They identified two practices that contributed to integration failure.

First, the practice of masking negative emotions caused members of both firms to perceive that the partner firm’s members were satisfied with the integration process, even though they were not. These false perceptions of satisfaction resulted in minimal corrective action, the escalation of the situation, and ultimately integration failure.

Second, efficiency-driven communication practices used in inter-firm communication exacerbated the effect of masking negative emotions on false perceptions of satisfaction by shielding both firms’ members from the other firm’s members’ spontaneous emotional reactions.

Their research invites scholars to consider more deeply the emotional consequences of various common organizational practices.