Strategic planning: how it helped to resolve conflict in a new international joint venture

Purpose The purpose of this study is to show how strategic planning can play multiple roles in the context of conflict between two controlling shareholders in a new joint venture. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a five-year qualitative case study of a large financial services joint venture co-owned by a Latin American state bank and a European financial company. Findings The authors found that over time, budgeting and strategic planning had intertwining use to guide strategic decisions, but unexpectedly, strategic planning eventually developed three distinct roles beyond the merely functional, as it also contributed to complex symbolic and political functions. Originality/value This study provides guidance on considering different roles taken by strategic planning, as a utilitarian practice, as a symbolic narrative and as a conflict-mediating routine.