無中文摘要

Globalization has increased the interaction between cultures, and it often leads to disagreements due to discrepancy. In workplace, cultural difference is a tough challenge since it causes conflicts which directly affect productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. This study discusses how different schemas affect individual’s interpretation of received information, and it further discusses the interpersonal conflicts through the lens of other theories related to cross-cultural interaction. Therefore, three research questions are investigated in this research, including (a) the types of interpersonal conflict that participants encounter in workplace, (b) the mental process that participants went through in pre-adjusted and adjusted period, and (c) the strategies adopted by the participants to cope with interpersonal conflicts in pre-adjusted and adjusted period. This study is conducted with a qualitative method by using semi-structured interview, for this method explores information in a detailed way. Thirty participants were interviewed in this research. They are international people who are currently working in Taiwan and have been working more than four months up to five years. This research brought out findings in three dimensions. The first one is the types of interpersonal conflicts commonly seen. It is found that there are eight types of conflicts divided into three dimensions. With these results, it provides references for organizations to deal with interpersonal conflicts between different cultures. The second one is the mental process that the participants went through in pre-adjusted and adjusted period. The result shows that time of period that participants have stayed in Taiwan is not a main factor influencing mental adjustment. By obtaining this information, it provides references for companies to know what emotions those international employees are in in different periods. The last one is the strategies that the participants applied to cope with the interpersonal conflicts in pre-adjusted and adjusted period. The finding showed that interest conflict and personal philosophy both influence the strategy chosen by the participant when dealing with conflicts. By understanding the strategies used by the international employees in different periods, this study provides information for international workers to apply better strategies in an intercultural environment when handling such conflicts. This study found that personal philosophy and interest conflict play a role influencing both the participants’ feelings and behaviors in conflicts.

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