Main Sources of Conflicts

Running Head: THE MAIN SOURCES OF CONFLICTS

The Main Sources of Conflict in Cross-Cultural Management

Within an International Organization

Yeung Hoi Man (Joanne)

073027

BUS 415

Professor C.F. Lubanski LAM

01/11/2010

Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Abstract

As Globalization becomes popular, people work oversea in different types of international organization in the world. The co-workers in the organization with different cultural backgrounds have to work as a team co-operatively all the times. Conflicts and problems may occur among co-workers base on different cultures, structures, communications and values. Therefore, a cross-cultural management strategy is needed to help solving these types of cross-cultural conflicts. Before the actual actions to solve those conflicts, studying and understanding the main sources of conflicts is the first step. This paper analyzes the conflicts’ main source from four different aspects including Culture, Structure, Communication and Value. People can get better understanding on how to deal with the cross-cultural conflicts after reading the main sources of them.

The Main Sources of Conflict in Cross-Cultural Management

within an International Organization

An international organization has co-workers who come from different countries in the world with different cultural backgrounds. Conflict occurring between individuals or social groups that are separated by cultural boundaries can be considered as cross-cultural conflict (Avruch, 1998). “International businesses are wrestling with the unique issues of rapid globalization” (Halary & Savita, 2000, p. 602). For enlarging the business in different places in the world, the dynamics of international companies frequently require moving managers and expanding a business location in other countries. A cross-cultural management is needed for dealing with the problems that may occur when people work together with different cultural backgrounds....