Examining executives’ role conflicts in German-international joint ventures: A qualitative analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine what conflicting roles executives of international joint ventures (IJV) perceive and to explicate what consequences result from such discords, particularly how and under what conditions role conflicts relate to IJV performance. A qualitative approach was followed by analyzing 23 semi-structured interviews based on Saldaña's two coding cycles. Results present comprehensive catalogs of IJV executives' roles as well as role conflicts, along with a conceptual model that shows (positive, but especially negative) consequences of role conflicts. This model sheds light on the black box of the relationship between role conflicts and IJV performance, thus opening a promising basis for further behavioral research embedded in alliance management. In addition, the established catalogs of identified role(s) (conflicts) contribute to the research field of global leadership.