| Organizational members exist in circumstances that fundamentally shape norms for acceptable behavior. At the same time, the Three Cultures Model developed by Gardenswartz, Rowe, Digh, and Bennett (2003) reminds us that an individual's national culture and personal culture work in conjunction with organizational culture to influence communication style. In the case of multicultural organizations (MCOs), the cultural differences that exist among organizational members can certainly be sites for creativity and learning, but they can also be sources for misunderstanding and the emergence/exacerbation of conflict.;Unfortunately, the tendency within the extant literature is to emphasize one element of culture (adopting a macro level perspective focusing on the culture of the organization or the national cultures of the employees or, alternatively, adopting a micro level perspective focusing on the personal cultures of individual employees) rather than appreciating how organizational culture, national culture, and personal culture work together in influencing behavior and sense-making (Weick, 1995).;This research seeks to address a gap in current research by employing the Three Cultures Model in a case study examination of communication and conflict styles within a multicultural organization. The case study approach was adopted due, in part; to the advantage that such an approach has in providing an opportunity to understand the perceptions and actions of individuals in context. In this research, I focus in particular on the role that culture (organizational culture, national culture, personal culture) plays in the meanings that organizational members construct to explain each other's behaviors and reactions in situations they define as involving conflict.;Findings of the study supported the need for scholars and practitioners to adopt a holistic approach (three cultures model) when studying intercultural related issues in organizations. |
