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The impact of cultural similarities and differences on performance in strategic partnerships: An integrative perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Gavriel Meirovich
Gavriel Meirovich*
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Bertolon School of Business, Salem State College, Salem MA, USA
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Abstract

This theoretical research endeavors to find common ground in the ostensibly inconsistent results of studies on the impact of cultural similarities and differences on strategic partnerships. Some findings suggested that partners have to possess similar cultural characteristics in order to achieve success while others showed that cultural distance had a positive effect on efficiency and the competitiveness of partnerships. This paper systematically analyzes the equivocal evidence of influence of both commonalities and differences on partnerships' outcomes, highlighting conditions under which they can be either beneficial or dysfunctional. Several propositions are formulated in regard to the role of qualitative and quantitative differences in both organizational and national cultures. Further, the theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Keywords

strategic partnershipscultural similaritiescultural differences
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , March 2010 , pp. 127 - 139
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2010

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