Configurations of Acquisition Integration By Publicly-listed Multi-Acquiring Law Firms

The study investigates the integration process of 71 acquisitions undertaken by two highly acquisitive publicly listed law firms. The research provides theoretical understanding of a holistic approach to acquisition integration and the inherent dynamics of acquisition integration. The contributions of this thesis include the explanatory power of configurational analysis in representing acquisition integration. The results provide compelling evidence that six clear and differentiated configurations of integration can demonstrate a holistic approach for capturing and understanding the complexity of acquisition integration. Second, the configurations of integration were driven by different levels of sophistication of integration mechanisms, particularly in terms of their emphases on knowledge and capabilities, as well as different organizational structures. Third, the same firm could use different configurations of acquisition integration for acquisitions that were conducted in parallel or serially.