A contextual theory of organizational learning from failures and successes: a study of acquisition completion in the global newspaper industry, 1981-2008

Muehlfeld, Katrin

doi:10.1108/sd.2012.05628kaa.008

Cited by 53 publications

(133 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…This will in part be determined by the experience of the parent company in managing foreign affiliates. One particular aspect of this is discussed in detail by Muehlfeld et al (2012). In the context of learning through FDI in acquisitions they argue that firms engaging in a large number of mergers develop routines to maximise the gains from the process of acquisition.…”

Section: Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reverse international knowledge transfer in the MNE: (Where) does affiliate performance boost parent performance?

2016

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We examine the extent to which the knowledge or technological capability of foreign affiliates actually enhances the performance of their parent companies. Our results draw on a firm-level panel of more than 1,600 multinationals and more than 4,000 of their overseas affiliates, covering 46 home and host countries. We find considerable evidence of enhanced parent productivity as a result of their affiliates' performance, which we interpret as evidence of reverse knowledge transfer from affiliates to parents. This effect is robust to different tests including IV estimation and a falsification exercise based on unconnected 'matched' affiliates. We find that both physical and strategic location markedly affects the affiliate-parent relationship, and that distance reduces the positive impact that affiliate performance has on that of the parent. HighlightsWe link effective technology sourcing to firm performance. While location matters, the position of the affiliate within the parent company determines effective technology sourcing. We develop a "falsification test" to confirm the importance of the parent-affiliate relationship.

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Section: Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reverse international knowledge transfer in the MNE: (Where) does affiliate performance boost parent performance?

2016

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“…Reason, 1997;Zhao & Olivera, 2006), strategic management (cf. Muehlfeld, Sahib, & van Witteloostuijn, 2012), sociology (cf. Perrow, 1999), and health care management (cf.…”

Section: Sometimes We May Learn More From a Man's Errors Than From Hmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunity, Motivation, and Ability to Learn from Failures and Errors: Review, Synthesis, and Ways to Move Forward

Dahlin

Chuang

Roulet

2018

Preprint

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While organizations and individuals tend to focus on learning from success, research has shown that failure can yield crucial insights in various contexts that range from small mistakes and errors, product recalls, accidents, and medical errors, to large-scale disasters.This review of the literature identifies three mechanisms-opportunity, motivation, and ability-through which individuals, groups and organizations learn from failure, and it bridges the gaps between different levels of analysis. Opportunity to learn from failure mostly takes the shape of more information about errors and failures that are generated by one's own and others' prior failures or near-failures. Motivation to learn from failure is hindered by punitive leaders and organizations. Finally, ability to learn from failure partly relies on inherent attitudes and characteristics; but can be further developed through thoughtful analysis and transfers of successful routines. Our review leads us to distinguish between erroneous versus correct processes and adverse versus successful outcomes to better understand the full gamut of events that are faced by organizations. We identify the existence of noisy learning environment, where spurious successes (when erroneous processes still lead 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 2 to successful outcomes) and spurious failures (when correct processes are combined with adverse outcomes) lower the opportunity to learn. Considering noisy learning situations is helpful when understanding the differences between slow-and fast-learning environments.We conclude our review by identifying a number of unexplored areas we hope scholars will address to better our understanding of failure learning.

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“…Further, all the selected M&A deals (dates 1998 to 2006), except one, were formalised at least three years, but typically more than five years, before the start of our data gathering. We were eager and able to investigate two series of M&As next to two unique M&As, which enabled the researchers to reflect on organisational learning in M&As (Barkema and Schijven 2008;Hutzschenreuter, Kleindienst, and Schmitt 2012;Muehlfeld, Sahib, and van Witteloostuijn 2012). The first series of M&As (Table 1: cases 1a, 1b, and 1c) took a six-year period, the second series (Table 1: cases 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d) unfolded over a four-year period.…”

Section: Methods and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, strategic issues in M&As are typically related to context variables, and defined as general attributes of the acquiring company, of the target, or their relative positions, that may affect the value creation potential in a transaction (Gerpott 1995). Examples of such strategic characteristics are technological and market relatedness, M&A experience, cultural fit, absolute and relative size of the M&A, and strategic motives for the M&A (Haspeslagh and Jemison 1991;Ahuja and Katila 2001;Hagedoorn and Duysters 2002;Cassiman et al 2005;Schweizer 2005;Cloodt, Hagedoorn, and van Kranenburg 2006;Hitt et al 2009;Hussinger 2010;Makri, Hitt, and Lane 2010;Muehlfeld, Sahib, and van Witteloostuijn 2012;Bauer and Matzler 2014). Superior strategic choices regarding these characteristics create an attractive combination potential.…”

Section: Strategic Manda Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting post-M&A integration mechanisms tuned in to technological relatedness and innovation synergy realisation

Wubben

Batterink²,

Omta

2016

Technology Analysis & Strategic Management

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Studies on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) typically relate innovation synergies to either context characteristics or post-M&A integration. There is little research on how to tune the relevant practices to the benefit of realising specific innovation synergies. It is the purpose of this paper to develop a conceptual framework on innovation synergy realisation in large M&As, that relates the following components: (1) strategic M&A characteristics; and (2) post-M&A integration mechanisms; to (3) innovation synergy realisation. The research explored how different innovation synergies were achieved in nine large medium-tech and high-tech M&As in the life sciences. From this case studies research, it turns out that higher degrees of technological relatedness allow for the realisation of more types of innovation synergy, brought about by the more demanding integration mechanisms structural linking and process re-design. ARTICLE HISTORY

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A contextual theory of organizational learning from failures and successes: a study of acquisition completion in the global newspaper industry, 1981-2008

Cited by 53 publications

References 73 publications

Reverse international knowledge transfer in the MNE: (Where) does affiliate performance boost parent performance?

Reverse international knowledge transfer in the MNE: (Where) does affiliate performance boost parent performance?

Opportunity, Motivation, and Ability to Learn from Failures and Errors: Review, Synthesis, and Ways to Move Forward

Getting post-M&A integration mechanisms tuned in to technological relatedness and innovation synergy realisation

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