The post-formation management of international joint ventures: A sensemaking approach

International joint venture (IJV) is not a new organizational phenomenon in international business. Existing research in IJVs has provided a well-established body of knowledge informing much of the joint venture process from parent firms’ strategic consideration to implementation phase, and particularly on major drivers of joint venture performance. Still, what we know less is about ‘soft’ aspects of collaboration underlying contextual constraints and dynamics in the joint venture process, such as individual sensemaking and identification. In light of this, the present paper aims at exploring a sensemaking approach to IJV post-formation management in search of capturing such ‘soft’, invisible managerial processes in a visible conceptualization that contributes to a better understanding of this complex organizational phenomenon. Empirical insights from cases of Danish – Vietnamese joint ventures are used to illustrate elements of this conceptualization. At this phase, the paper should be treated as an initial sketch open for further elaboration, model development and empirical illustration.