Organizational fit and acquisition performance: Effects of post‐acquisition integration

Abstract Based on 173 acquisitions in the U.S. manufacturing industry, this study examines the impact of organizational differences between acquiring and acquired firms on post‐acquisition performance. The findings indicate that differences in top management styles have a negative impact on performance in acquisitions characterized by both high and low levels of post‐acquisition integration. However, no such relationship was observed between differences in the reward and evaluation systems and post‐acquisition performance in either the high or low integration subgroups. Implications of the findings, along with directions for future research, have been discussed in the concluding section of this paper.