How Firms Cultivate Collaboration During Postmerger Integration of Technology Acquisitions

Technology acquisitions are increasingly prevalent, but their failure rate is notoriously high. Although extant research suggests that collaboration may improve acquisi-tion success, relatively little is known about how firms cultivate collaboration during postmerger integration (PMI) of technology acquisitions. Using inductive multiple-case methods, the authors address this gap. Their primary contribution is an emergent framework that sheds needed light on how firms cultivate successful collaboration postacquisition. The authors' study reveals three key mechanisms that help relieve collaboration bottlenecks stemming from geographic, motivational, cultural, and power-perception-related barriers. More broadly, their findings contribute to the literature on postmerger integration.