Joint venture: Remember, you only own half of me....
Strategic alliance management with the principals and joint venture MDs and their teams in the USA and Asia (Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan).
The two principals displayed contrasting management assumptions and styles at a time of rapid business growth. One principal was characterised by distributors as 'controlling', the other was more laid back, seeing the distributor as a partner rather than a subordinate.
Asian managers and their teams showed reluctance to convey upwards feedback while some ex-pat managers were comfortable pedalling their customary assertiveness.
There were complex cultural dynamics and some unusual operational challenges as a result of an anti-counterfeit campaign run alongside 'business as usual' in the markets.
The work over a long period of time involved a mixture of 'corporate diplomacy', conflict resolution, coaching and team development.
Principals and joint venture companies learned to accommodate difference and work out a more viable approach to management.
