Operational control and international joint venture (IJV): A systematic review and future research agenda

The intent of the current research is to put forward a set of research areas for recognizing the implications of operational control in an international joint venture's' (IJV) sustenance and growth. Operational control is considered a significant factor in influencing an IJV's performance. The current research considers the three categories of operational control, i.e., dominant control, shared control, and split control, and then reviews the dynamics of these controls in the creation and progression of an IJV. The research takes up the literature review approach using TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics, Methods) technique to find out future avenues of research in context to operational control and IJV. Four distinct clusters have been carved out of the existing literature, namely, IJV's control structures and unpredictability, dark side of control and implications on IJV, control choice and IJV efficiency and lastly, trust, control, and IJV competence. This research discovered the role of trust in increasing partners' confidence in an IJV. The study also highlights the ownership structure and the influence of external environment in affecting the functioning of IJV. The article provides further details regarding the approaches by which executives can strategically position themselves to achieve the objectives of an IJV.