Unbundling the intellectual joint venture process

Abstract

Intellectual joint ventures can be very useful vehicles for conducting cross‐cultural, international human resource management research as witnessed by the proliferation of these alliances. Challenges to the successful development, operation and goal attainment of intellectual joint ventures inhibit the ability to reap all of the benefits promised from these collaborative efforts. This article identifies and elaborates on challenges or inhibitors to intellectual joint venture success. By focusing on challenges driven by career stage and career anchor asymmetry this article extends earlier research on intellectual joint ventures. In conclusion, recommendations for overcoming or attenuating the effects of these success inhibitors are offered. The dramatic increase in use of intellectual joint ventures in applied social science research is noteworthy. Previous research has identified an intellectual joint venture as a team of researchers from several countries and/or disciplines who jointly conduct research. Current examples of intellectual joint ventures in the field of human resource management include the best international human resource management project, the Cranfield Network on European Human Resource Management Project, the Lund Project on Learning and Training in Organisations (LATIO), the European Managerial Decision‐making Project, the Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) project, and the European Union Copernicus/Oxford project