Abstract
Organizational autonomy is an omnipresent concern in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) literature as it greatly affects the success of an acquisition. This is because the level of acquired company autonomy determines the extent of realized synergies and also the disruption and destruction of value post-deal. Hence, a strategic priority during the post-acquisition phase is to establish the optimal degree of organizational autonomy in order to reconfigure resources and capabilities between the acquiring and acquired firms. The extent of organizational autonomy of an acquired target may impact its financial performance, role in the organization, use of resources, exploration, knowledge flows, employees’ attitudes and behaviors, and the amount of attention received from the parent.