This study deals with cultural differences, intercultural misunderstandings, and coping strategies in the context of two specific cultures: German and Taiwanese. Using content analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with 31 German and Taiwanese co-workers in Taiwan (superiors-subordinates and peers), this study attempts to accomplish two goals: (a) Analyze which intercultural misunderstandings are commonly encountered by German and Taiwanese co-workers in their work relationships and examine the nature of these misunderstandings; (b) Explore how German and Taiwanese co-workers cope with these intercultural misunderstandings and determine whether there are cultural differences in coping responses used by Germans and Taiwanese. The coding and content analysis revealed intercultural misunderstandings and conflicts in four areas: Language and Communication, Business Practices: Quality / Thoroughness vs. Speed / Flexibility, Conflict Management: Dealing with Problems and Mistakes, and Leadership and Management Styles: Roles of Managers and Employees. Regarding coping strategies, this study found that Taiwanese co-workers used more emotion-focused coping strategies, in particular acceptance (passive-adaptive coping) and seeking emotional support, whereas Germans used more problem-focused and avoidance coping. The ultimate purpose of this study is to increase awareness of possible problem areas and coping responses and help German and Taiwanese co-workers to collaborate and communicate more effectively. For example, the data provided in this study can be used for designing culture-specific intercultural training modules for the German-Taiwanese business context.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CHENGCHI/G0954610201 |
| Creators | 羅莉莎, Roehlig, Sarah |
| Publisher | 國立政治大學 |
| Source Sets | National Chengchi University Libraries |
| Language | 英文 |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Rights | Copyright © nccu library on behalf of the copyright holders |
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