Cross-cultural differences in conflict management An inductive study of Chinese and American managers

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to compare conflict management behaviors of American and Chinese managers. Its main aim is to uncover cultural differences in the way Chinese and American managers approach conflict - thereby developing a more thorough understanding of conflict management across cultures. Design/methodology/approach - Inductive analysis is used to uncover conflict management constructs that are unique to each culture. Structured interviews and multidimensional scaling techniques are used. Findings - Results show that the conflict management behaviors suggested by American and Chinese managers are different. For Chinese managers alone, embarrassing the colleague and teac..