BIO:

Hans Solli-Sæther is a Professor of Strategy in the Department of International Business at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He served as Head of Department from 2017 to 2023, during which he contributed to university-wide expert committees, the editorial board of the university newspaper, and several advisory boards. Since 2018, he has been a Guest Professor at ESDES Business School in Lyon, and in spring 2024 he was a Visiting Professor in the HumanTech project at Politecnico di Milano.

His research focuses on multinational enterprises, mergers and acquisitions, global value chains, and information systems management. His work has appeared in journals including MIS Quarterly, Global Strategy Journal, Multinational Business Review, Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, and the International Journal of Technology Management. He has also led research on public-sector innovation, such as the Semicolon project on interoperability in the Norwegian public sector (2007–2013).

He teaches international business strategy, international organisation and management, international sourcing, and digitalisation of value creation, and has also contributed to executive education for industry and public-sector organisations.

He holds a BSc and MSc in mathematics, statistics, computer science, and software engineering from the University of Oslo, a Business Candidate degree from BI Norwegian Business School, and a PhD in organisation and leadership from BI. He has industry experience as a software engineer, management consultant, and executive leader, including serving as CIO at Norway Post.

Home Page: https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/haso

Abstract:

This study examines the role of employees’ behaviours and interactions in post-mergers and acquisitions (M&As). A microfoundations lens is adopted to investigate how micro-level employee dynamics mediate the relationship between the combining firms’ macro-level operational integration and innovation performance. The empirical setting is a Norwegian multinational’s acquisition of a UK-based competitor in the maritime technology industry, providing a rich context for analyzing integration processes and outcomes in an international environment. Using a multilevel mixed-method approach, the analysis combines quantitative data from three yearly surveys with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and workshops to triangulate the proposed relationships and mechanisms.

The resulting modular microfoundations explanation and empirical evidence indicate that macro-level operational integration directly supports innovation by aligning systems, structures, and responsibilities between the combining firms. Operational integration also shapes the post-acquisition social environment, creating structural conditions that influence employees’ loyalty and subsequent knowledge-sharing behaviours at the micro level, which collectively contribute to organisational innovation. The study concludes that effective operational integration enhances coordination and fosters a social environment supportive of micro-level employee behaviours that strengthen firm innovativeness. Overall, the findings contribute to bridging the micro–macro divide in international business research, offering both theoretical and practical insights into the mechanisms linking operational and human alignment with innovation in cross-border M&As.

Keywords: microfoundations, post-M&A integration, innovation outcome, employee behaviours, mixed methods.