| During the past two decades, a great number of multinational organizations have invested in China. This study focused on analyzing intercultural communication and conflict within U.S. affiliated multinational organizations in China. In particular, it explored how American and Chinese employees perceive the effectiveness of communication between them as well as how they perceive and deal with conflict between them.; In order to gather rich descriptions on this topic, I adopted a qualitative approach by interviewing 45 employees (21 Americans, 21 Chinese and 3 Chinese Americans) from 30 multinational organizations in China. Interviews with the Chinese informants were conducted in Chinese, and interviews with the American informants were conducted in English. I utilized a constant comparative method for data analysis.; Research findings indicated that participants used different standards to measure intercultural communication effectiveness, such as having a good working relationship, getting the job done or getting their points across. About one third of the participants considered their intercultural communication to be effective. Language and cultural differences were the two biggest barriers in intercultural communication. Many participants also mentioned that they did not have much intercultural interaction outside of work.; In addition, participants did not report many intercultural conflicts at work. Major causes of conflict between American and Chinese colleagues were different interests, assumptions, work styles, standards and opinions as well as ethnocentrism. Both American and Chinese participants used a variety of strategies to deal with conflict although the former tended to be more confrontational.; In general, factors that contributed to effective intercultural communication and conflict management included sufficient language skills and cultural understanding, positive attitudes, adaptation, strong corporate culture, and appropriate employee recruitment and training.; Based on the research findings, I suggest that scholars should pay more attention to the variations and assimilation during the process of intercultural interaction. I also call for more empirical studies on communication in multinational organizations and effects of globalization.; Keywords. Intercultural Communication, Intercultural Conflict, Multinational Organizations, American Employee, Chinese Employee. |
