Question

Conflict among managers emerged soon after a French company acquired a Swedish firm. The Swedes perceived the French management as hierarchical and arrogant, whereas the French thought the Swedes were naive, cautious, and lacking an achievement orientation. Identify the source(s) of conflict that best explains this conflict, and describe ways to reduce dysfunctional conflict in this situation

Answer 1

The main source of conflict, in this case, is the cultural difference between the two countries. If we compare the two countries on Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, there is a huge difference between the two countries regarding the power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and indulgence. The French management's hierarchical organizational structure is based on accepting a power distance among different individuals whereas Sweden culture puts more emphasis on independence and equal rights.

Similarly, Sweden being a feminine society puts more emphasis on various values such as caring for others which might seem naive to the French which is a masculine culture relying on competition and achievement.

Such differences between the two cultures are bound to create the conflict as seen in this case. To address and solve the conflict, the first step has to be taken up by the french management. It has to understand the cultural differences and how the Swedish employees are different from their French counterparts. Understanding goes a long way in solving the conflict.

Next, after understanding their differences, it would become easier for the management to implement the steps which would help the Swedish employees in performing their jobs more efficiently. Reducing the power distance between bosses and employees and giving more independence to the employees to make decisions will help in increasing the job satisfaction of the employees.