Joint ventures (JVs) are an important element of many firms' strategies, but many of these ventures fail to achieve their objectives. A critical factor influencing venture performance is the joint venture general manager (JVGM), because this executive must manage the frequently divergent motivations and cultures of each of the partner firms, as well as the competitive requirements of the JV itself. Yet minimal attention has been devoted to skills that might help improve performance of JVGMs and their ventures. This study addresses one particularly promising type of skill, self-management, which is a central variable in social cognitive theory. This study examines the relationship between self-management and JVGM performance, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Based on 95 responses from a sample of 39 JVs, several significant relationships were discovered between various dimensions of self-management practices and the performance of JVGMs and their JVs. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed, along with the organizational implications of using social cognitive theory to examine JVGM performance.
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