Observing the utilization of middle management during an ongoing acquisition.

Abstract

This article focuses on the ambiguity of an ongoing acquisition and examines the utilization of middle management functionalities during the process. Utilizing a case study where the empirical findings regarding middle management roles proved that the focus should be expanded from the managers themselves towards the functionalities middle management instead incorporates. We identified three main factors which function as enablers for sensemaking in the ambiguous process of acquisition. These factors include a dynamic CEO, a business system, and a senior advisor. These factors are intertwined and complement each other and enable sensemaking during the ambiguous process of acquisition. These factors were in turn connected and analyzed using a sensemaking framework. This study suggests that human middle managers are not essential in an acquisition process, but instead focus should be shifted towards the functionalities middle management incorporates. Thus, this study sheds light and fills the literature gap on the process of acquisition indifference to post-acquisition which is covered in most literature. Moreover, this study scrutinizes the meaning of middle management in ambiguous situations and adds to the literature on ongoing acquisition processes.