Micro-political or inter-cultural conflicts? - An integrating approach

Ursula Mense-Petermann

Journal of International Management, 2006, vol. 12, issue 3, 302-317

Abstract: The article focuses on inner-organizational conflicts arising with respect to processes of organizational transnationalization of multinational companies (MNCs). Two strands of debate are identified and discussed in this respect: one focusing on micro-political, the other one focusing on inter-cultural conflicts. It is argued that an integrative perspective on conflict processes is needed as neither power nor culture can be neglected or put in a secondary position when explaining conflicts in MNCs. Such an integrative framework is developed following Giddens' analytical differentiation of three dimensions of social systems: signification, domination and legitimation. It is argued that it depends on contextual variables framing the process of transnationalization, whether actors conceive of occurring conflicts as being either inter-cultural or micro-political. This theoretical argument is underscored by referring to two case studies from a German MNC in the process of transnationalization.

Keywords: Transnationalization; Micro-political; conflicts; Inter-cultural; conflicts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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