Integration strategies for mergers and acquisitions in the United Kingdom housing sector

Many letting and factoring company leaders face challenges in the United Kingdom housing sector, necessitating mergers and acquisitions (M&As) to adopt hybrid growth models. Yet, the company leaders typically lack M&A integration strategies to achieve sustainable growth. Grounded in the theory of the competitive forces, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore M&A integration strategies business leaders used to achieve sustainable growth in the United Kingdom social housing sector. The participants were four executive-level leaders of a for-profit housing and property factoring organization representing 17 of 32 local authority locations throughout Scotland, United Kingdom. Data were gathered using semistructured interviews, personal conversations, content analysis of publicly available documents, and organizational data. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step thematic analysis approach, and three themes emerged: (1) cooperative synergies of M&A assets, (2) measured executive communication and direction, and (3) effectively leveraging organizational resources. A key recommendation to the organization’s leaders is to expand their cooperative synergy strategy to include complementary hybrid business models to increase market presence within the United Kingdom and drive excitement in the communities where cooperative synergies are applied. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide property leaders and the communities with improved, sustainable infrastructure, leading to improved basic-needs items, such as safe, affordable housing.