Business ventures between international firms often fail. There is no lack of quantitative economic analyses (e. g. balance sheet), but rather a lack of analyses of the cultural compatibility of the two organizations that come from different national cultures. In this new approach the logic behind personnel assessment is transferred to the assessment of cultural features of organizations. First, experts in co-operating German-Indian firms (managers, consultants etc.) evaluate potentially relevant "soft" success factors for a German-Indian business venture. Then personnel experts derive corresponding competencies. These competencies are then adapted to the Indian business culture. Finally, the authors describe instruments (e. g. content analysis; systematic interview) and their use in specified functional areas of the company for assessing the relevant organizational features of the potential partner.