‘Survival of the fittest or the fitting?’ A framework for integration

Abstract

AbstractCollaborations and acquisitions have a high failure rate. This article: argues that organizational fit is more important than financial fit; provides a five‐stage evolutionary analytical tool for future partners; and suggests that problems of integration can be anticipated. If we look at the organizational world, we find that, as in nature, collaboration is often as common as competition. Organizations in the same industry frequently get together under the umbrella of trade and professional associations to collaborate in relation to shared interests. These are mostly shared interests of power or competition oriented and based on a ‘natural selection’ process in a branch. The reason for collaboration is often survival of the fittest: the most robust competitors in a branch will survive through collaboration or acquisition and elimination of the weaker ones, yet only a few of these ‘strong’ collaborations and acquisitions are really successful.