Developing a Decision Making Model for Selecting an IT Post-Merger Integration Strategy

Abstract

M&A (Merger and Acquisitions) is a standard corporate strategy frequently used by companies seeking to secure new growth engines and gain a solid foothold in their markets in order to become more globally competitive. To achieve the original goals of M&A, the two involved parties need to invest significant time and resources in integrating all aspects of the companies. A well-planned post-merger integration of information technology (IT PMI) by the two M&A parties is considered a crucial and difficult process because IT provides a fundamental infrastructure for integration. Considering various internal and external factors,the two parties normally formulate an IT PMI strategy. The many IT PMI strategies can be categorized into four major types: Renewal, Takeover, Standardization, and Synchronization. This study aims to develop a decision making model to help merger company and IT managers select the proper IT PMI strategy. More specifically, we identify key determinants that need to be considered when selecting a proper IT PMI strategy. The relative importance of each determinant is defined by analytic hierarchy process (AHP)analysis. Finally, this study evaluates each IT integration strategy under the identified determinants.