1 INTERCULTURAL CONFLICTS AT

WORKPLACE
Annie had been working for a number of years in the office of a large manufacturing company. She was happy with her
position and the people she worked with—particularly her immediate supervisor. However, just before Christmas, Annie
was told the company was merging with another international company, and that many of the employees from the new
firm would be coming to Annie’s building around January 2. She was also told that she would be working for a “new boss,”
but that her position was secure. Annie was pleased, since jobs in her town were hard to locate.
On the first day that the two workforces were combined, Annie noticed something that upset her. It seemed that some
members of the male staff from the U.S. had made changes to the community coffee and snack room. Not only did they
put wine and beer in the icebox, but they also hung a few pin-up pictures of women in swimsuits from the Sports Illustrated
magazine’s swimsuit edition. Annie asked the other female staff members what they thought about the alterations in the
workroom. Most of them were also troubled by the pictures, but did not want to lose their jobs, so they remained silent.
However, the pictures bothered Annie, so she decided to talk to her new supervisor. He told her to relax and not to worry
about it. He said he liked the new atmosphere. Annie quit her job.
What do you believe Annie should have done?
IC IN BUSINESS
& EDUCATION
CONTEXT
3

OUTLINE
IC IN BUSINESS CONTEXT
▸ Protocol
▸ Cultures
▸ Negotiation & conflict
resolution
IC IN EDUCATION CONTEXT
▸ Culture & learning
▸ Cultural learning preferences
4

THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SETTING

277,000 employees abroad 700,000 employees abroad

5,000 stores

95,000 employees abroad over 100 nations

 5 THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SETTING

1/5 pp speak
more than 1
language

80% of the
growth is from
immigration

12.2 %: Blacks
28%: Hispanics
6% Asians
“
Both developed and developing nations are
now tied directly to an international system of
economic interdependence, and most
countries have at least one asset within their
borders that is needed by another country.
7

THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SETTING

▸ Need for knowledge and understanding of how

to conduct business in a manner that

accommodates different cultural rules.

8
THE DOMESTIC BUSINESS SETTING

▸ Businesses have adapted their

operations to meet the needs of
these new residents.

▸ e.g. Walmart has opened

Hispanic-focused supermarkets
called Supermercado de Walmart.
9
COMMUNICATION IN THE MULTICULTURAL
BUSINESS CONTEXT

▸ When business negotiators come from cultures

with different rules, communication problems may
arise.
10 INTERCULTURAL CONFLICTS AT
WORKPLACE
The pizza companies relied on local Chinese suppliers for their pizza boxes but were dissatisfied
with their quality and irregular delivery schedule as well as the cost. The Canadian packaging
company, wishing to extend its activities into the area of convenience foods, found a Chinese
producer that could manufacture pizza boxes to their specifications with assurances that they
could deliver the boxes within set deadlines at a very reasonable cost. Intensive negotiations by
email and telephone led both the Chinese and the Canadians to schedule face-to-face meetings.
Arrangements were made for the Chinese to visit the Canadians first, with the Canadians returning
the visit two weeks later. The Canadian company went all out with their reception for the Chinese
visitors. Although the Chinese were greeted by the Canadian company’s president and
management team with lavish words of praise in front of a hundred guests, they remained reticent
and very formal. Later, during a dinner, the Chinese did not seem to appreciate the meal and said
very little despite attempts by the Canadians to keep the conversation going. The evening ended in
silence on both sides when the Chinese delegation made their excuses and quietly returned to
their rooms. The Canadians were surprised and disappointed.
What had gone wrong?
11

DISCUSSION

▸ Situation 1 ▸ The explanation lies in the different cultural rules

that govern initial business meetings.
▹ The Chinese were on what they thought of as
a normal business visit  expected an
ordinary welcome.
▹ The welcome they received seemed
extraordinary,  caused them to feel ill at
ease, and prompted the early departure to
their rooms.
12

BUSINESS PROTOCOLS

▸ Forms of ceremony, etiquette, ▸ Making Initial

dress, and appropriate codes of
conduct
Contacts
▸ It is important to understand and ▸ Greeting Behavior
follow the prevailing customs
when conducting business in
another culture.
13

BUSINESS PROTOCOLS
▸ Making Initial Contacts
▹ Sending an e-mail
▹ Placing an unsolicited telephone call
▹ Writing a formal letter
▹ Using a “go-between” or emissary to obtain your appointment.
 Which procedure you use is related directly to the culture of the person you
wish to contact
▸ In China, the most effective means is by using your country’s Department of
Trade or Commerce to arrange appointments with local Chinese businesses.
India has much the same attitude about initial contacts because Indian
culture is based on established relationships.
14

BUSINESS PROTOCOLS

▸ Greeting Behavior
▹ When greeting someone for the first time,
be sure you know the proper form of
address.
▹ Determine whether you use a first name,
last name, or title.
15

BUSINESS CULTURES

▸ China
▸ America
▸ Vietnam
16

BUSINESS PROTOCOLS

▸ Develop a protocol for entering into negotiations

with a team of Brazilian, Vietnamese, or Indian
negotiators. What considerations must you give to
their business culture in developing your plan?
17

NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

▸ Success in the international business arena requires

that you know and understand the basic features of
intercultural negotiations.
▹ Vietnam
▹ China
▹ America
18
Developing Intercultural Negotiation Skills

1. Be prepared.
2. Develop sensitivity to the use of time.
3. Listen carefully.
4. Learn to tolerate ambiguity.
5. Try to locate areas of agreement.
 19

EDUCATION
CONTEXT
A complex idea can be
conveyed with just a single
still image, namely making it
possible
 “
20 CULTURE AND LEARNING

Learning is influenced by the particular

individual personalities of students and
the values of the cultures in which they
have been raised.
21

CHALLENGES OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

1. Field Independence vs. Field Dependence

2. Cooperation vs. Competition
3. Tolerance vs. Intolerance for Ambiguity
4. Trial and Error vs. “Watch, Then Do”
CULTURALLY DIVERSE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS

▸ Students from culturally and linguistically diverse

cultures make up 43 percent of the U.S. public
school enrollment.
▸ Over 20 percent of U.S. public school students
speak a language other than English at home.
23

THANKS!