Goal interdependence for working across cultural boundaries : Chinese employees with foreign managers
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Publication Date
7-1-2005
Volume
29
Issue
4
First Page
429
Last Page
447
Keywords
Commitment, Constructive controversy, Goal interdependence, Innovation
Abstract
The interaction between foreign managers and local employees is critical in helping them combine their expertise to innovate. However, their diverse cultural values can make developing a productive leader-member relationship challenging. This study proposes that goal interdependence is an important antecedent of an open-minded discussion of opposing views, innovation, and commitment. One hundred and eleven Chinese employees each described a specific interaction with their foreign manager and then responded to questions that were later used in the statistical analyses. The correlational and structural equation analysis indicated that cooperative but not competitive goals facilitated constructive controversy, which in turn promoted innovation and job commitment. These results suggest that Chinese employees and foreign managers can use the theory of cooperation and competition to develop their relationship, which help them integrate their ideas and abilities to implement useful innovations and heighten their commitment.
DOI
10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.05.010
Print ISSN
01471767
E-ISSN
18737552
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2005 Elsevier Ltd
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chen, Y.-f., Tjosvold, D., & Su, S. F. (2005). Goal interdependence for working across cultural boundaries: Chinese employees with foreign managers. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29(4), 429-447. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.05.010