Proceedings of the 18th International Academic Conference, London

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS: CASE STUDIES FROM THE FIELD OF INTERCULTURAL MANAGEMENT

LÍVIA ABLONCZY-MIHALYKA

Abstract:

Today’s business environment has become highly complex, dynamic and globalised. In today’s global world an understanding of what happens when people from different cultures meet and work together is quite essential for managers and leaders. This paper employs a qualitative approach to case studies collected from Hungarian managers who are in business contact with people belonging to various cultures. Over the last decade, research in intercultural management topics has received increased attention in literature. After reviewing the previous studies regarding cross-cultural misunderstandings, the author presents case-studies focusing on intercultural interaction issues in workplaces in Hungary. The paper summarises the differences in (1) management style, (2) staff behaviour and (3) attitudes and values. The findings of this study prove that the barriers of communication come from the national culture’s influence in the workplace on the behaviours of people with different identities. Moreover, culture also influences people’s way of thinking and results in different understanding toward the vision and the purposes of enterprises. The findings show that the current challenges caused by the globalisation pressures in the realm of economics result in the need to review leaders’ management practices. The findings also indicate that further research is needed to support work communities in order to successfully copel with increasing cultural diversity.

Keywords: international business setting, cultural diversity, intercultural misunderstanding, critical incidents

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2015.018.003

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