Abstract
A problem in joint ventures between U.S. and Asian firms is that cultural differences impede the smooth resolution of conflicts between managers. In a survey of young managers in the U.S., China, Philippines, and India we find support for two hypotheses about cultural differences in conflict style and the cultural values that account for these differences: Chinese managers rely more on an avoiding style because of their relatively high value on conformity and tradition. U.S. managers rely more on a competing style because of their relatively high value on individual achievement.
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*Michael W. Morris is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, and research affiliate of the Institute for Social and Personality Research at U.C. Berkeley. Katherine Y. Williams is an advanced graduate student in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Kwok Leung is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Richard Larrick is an Associate Professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. M. Teresa Mendoza is a faculty assistant at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Deepti Bhatnagar is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India. Jianfeng Li is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at The People's University of China's College of Business Administration. Mari Kondo is an Associate Professor of Asian Institute of Management in Manila. Jin-Lian Luo is an Associate Professor in the School of Economics & Management, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. Jun-Chen Hu is an Associate Professor in the School of Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Morris, M., Williams, K., Leung, K. et al. Conflict Management Style: Accounting for Cross-National Differences. J Int Bus Stud 29, 729–747 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490050
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490050