Longevity and cultural differences of international joint ventures: Toward time-based cultural management

Abstract

This article explores the relationships among time, organizational, and national cultural distance in an international joint venture setting. More particularly, the extent to which the longevity of an international joint venture affects the intensity of its cultural differences, is investigated in a sample of 51 international joint ventures set up in Hungary. It addresses certain mechanisms available to an international joint venture's managers and to its partners to deal with cross-cultural issues. The results suggest that the temporal dimension is a cultural moderator of prime importance, but to be totally effective, it must be combined with a willful strategy of cultural integration.