Managerial Perceptions and Lived Experiences in International Joint Ventures: A Qualitative Case Study from the UAE Construction Sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ari.v4i1.6584Keywords:
Construction Industry, International Joint Ventures, Knowledge Transfer, Managerial Perceptions, Qualitative Case Study, Relational Governance, United Arab EmiratesAbstract
An international joint venture (IJV) is a standard entry mode in emerging economies, yet the performance of such ventures is volatile, especially in project-based economic activities such as construction. As much as Culture, trust, control, and host-country conditions are identified as predictors of IJV success, most studies are quantitative and present these dimensions as measures rather than lived processes. This paper examines how managers in an IJV within the UAE construction industry perceive and experience collaboration, conflict and adaptation. The research was based on an interpretivist approach, a qualitative, single-case study, and employed 13 semi-structured interviews with project, operations, and senior supervisory managers of a construction joint venture between a foreign and a local company located in the UAE. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings indicate five interrelated themes: multidimensional perceptions of success; centrality of partner cooperation and relationship quality; cultural, organisational, and institutional challenges; strategies to stabilise collaboration under uncertainty; and interacting financial, relational, and contextual factors affecting IJV performance. The results re-envision the concept of IJV success as a relational, situational process based on trust-building, cultural competency, confidence in governance, and adaptive managerial practice, rather than a strict focus on financial indicators. The study adds value to research on IJVs by combining the relational, institutional, and knowledge-based approaches into a single explanatory model and providing a contextually informed account of a Gulf construction environment that has not been studied extensively. Importantly, it demonstrates the strategic roles of relational leadership, regulatory intelligence, and knowledge systems rooted in learning in sustaining IJVs in emerging markets.
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