Dont Strong-arm A Joint Venture

Forcing your partner to do things your way if you hold a majority equity position in a joint venture may seem like an effective way of achieving goals. But it could come at a terrible cost, relates J. Peter Killing, professor of strategy and general management at IMD (International Institute for Management Development), Lausanne, Switzerland, in a recent issue of IMDs Perspectives for Managers . The experiences of a Franco-American joint venture indicate strong-arming can result in a loss of goodwill and of any sense of the partners being able to work together.