Proactive Information System Integration: A Concept of IS Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions

Abstract: This thesis is the result of a case study which has its starting point in the fact that mergers and acquisitions are characterized by a high level of risk and often fail to reach stated goals such as leverage of synergy, many times due to the inability of integrating the concerned organization’s information systems. Existing problem perspectives do not include what could be a factor contributing to successful information system integration and thus lead to the leverage of synergy to organizations in a mergers and acquisitions context. This factor is proactive IS integration. Conducted research concerning proactive IS integration is limited and no conceptualizations have been done. This has a negative effect on the applicability of the term in order to describe IS integration from an academic as well as practical point of view. The main research question stated in the thesis is: Does proactive IS integration lead to the leverage of synergy effects? In order to give an account of this question a working concept of the term proactive IS integration is developed. The study presents theoretically deduced concepts influencing proactive IS integration. With these concepts as the base, a case study involving the Swedish organization Trelleborg Industrial Hose’s acquisition of the French company Dynaflex, built on qualitative interviews was conducted. The study result involves an extension to the theoretically deduced concepts, based on a mismatch between theory and findings, which involves knowledge and prior experience of IS integration as essential factors, leading to the proposition of regarding proactive IS integration as a capability.