Research activities
Conferences
2023
Strategic Management Society - 43rd Annual Conference
Oct 2023 - Toronto - Canada
The roles of First-line managers in navigating post-acquisition integration
This paper presents a case study of a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) process in a factory in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on the role of First-Line Managers (FLMs) in navigating the integration process and their impact on the integration strategy implementation. The findings suggest that FLMs' emotional management role helped employees continue working through difficult times. Operational management is important as the FLMs could adapt to changes, while the translation role is not always optimal because they do not understand the strategy properly. The paper highlights the importance of proper training and the need for clear communication of integration strategy. This case study provides valuable insights for future M&A studies, particularly in a developing country context.
2022
38th EGOS Colloquium
July 2022 - Online (Vienna - Austria)
A sensemaking & sensegiving perspective on the role of first-line managers in post-acquisition integration
EURAM - 22nd Annual Conference
June 2022 - Winterthur - Switzerland
A sensemaking & sensegiving perspective on the role of first-line managers in post-acquisition integration
Post-acquisition integration periods are interesting to investigate to understand change processes in organisations. Although many studies have been conducted on different levels of human factors inside the organisation, extant literature typically overlooks the first level in the management system - the first-line managers (FLMs). This paper stresses this gap and explores the crucial roles of FLMs in post-acquisition integration through the lens of sensemaking and sensegiving dynamics. With this in mind, this article presents an integrated study of the sensemaking and sensegiving of FLMs in the post-acquisition integration phase, in which FLMs play as both the target and the agent of the change. The paper addresses the limitations in prior research, highlighting the need for a more fine-grained understanding of how strategies are understood, interpreted and executed at lower levels of management, which potentially provides a fresh look at how M&A integration unfolds.
EURAM - Doctoral Colloquium
June 2022 - Winterthur - Switzerland
Research proposal: The roles of First-line managers in post-acquisition integration processes
Workshops, seminars
2023
EDEN Doctoral Seminar on Qualitative Methods in Business Research
by European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM)
May 2023 - Turku - Finland
Faculty:
Prof. Anne Kovalainen, University of Turku
Adj.Prof., senior researcher Seppo Poutanen, University of Turku
Prof. em. David Silverman, University of London
Joint LUMS-WHU-TSM PhD Workshop 2023
May 2023 - Koblenz - Germany
The roles of First-line managers in navigating post-acquisition integration
2021
EDEN Doctoral Seminar on how to design your PhD
by European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM)
Nov 2021 - Online
Faculty:
Ricardo Morais, Catolica Porto Business School
Eelko Huizingh, University of Groningen
Joint LUMS-WHU-TSM PhD Workshop 2021
Mar 2021 - Online
A sensemaking & sensegiving perspective on the role of first-line managers in post-acquisition integration
Master thesis
2020
Toulouse School of Management
June 2020 - Toulouse, France
"First line managers in post-acquisition integration” - Literature review
Supervised by Prof. Nicolar Mirc and Associate Prof. Christelle Theron
Grade: 19/20