| During the 1980s and 1990s an ever-increasing number of public, private and government organizations became engaged in inter-organizational relationships such as joint ventures, alliances, mergers, acquisitions and other partnerships. Alliances allow a degree of synergy between organizations that possess unique core competencies and also may provide partners an opportunity to jointly leverage scarce resources in order to exploit new technologies and opportunities.; This research involves the strategic alliance of the Navy and Air Force electronic warfare aviation communities constructed by the Department of Defense. The alliance was developed to achieve economies of scale and efficiencies in the Department's operations in this warfare area. It is an area in which the researcher has considerable knowledge and many years of personal experience.; A multiple methodology research approach was utilized which included both qualitative and qualitative techniques. Qualitative methods included in-depth interviews with key informants, participant observation, and document/records review. Quantitative methods consisted of administering a survey to assess organizational culture across twelve key dimensions of subject organizations.; In the course of this research a cultural assessment guide was developed to assist managers in understanding partner cultures and in implementation of the alliance. This Three Dimensional Cultural Assessment Guide (3-D CAG) has utility in that it will allow those charged with making alliance partner selection decisions to quickly determine expected areas of culture clash or incongruity between partner candidates.; This research has significant policy implications regarding organizations involved in strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Serious consideration must be given to organizations, even though they may appear quite similar, concerning the "fit" of cultures because lack of fit could result in severe degradation in performance or alliance failure. This research validates the recommended process to assess alliance congruence and identify areas during implementation that will require the most attention and resources. |
