Negotiations between British and Dutch managers: cultural values, approaches to conflict management, and perceived negotiation.

The present research investigates cultural values, approaches to conflict management, and perceived negotiation satisfaction in manager samples from the UK and the Netherlands. Three studies (total N = 412) were conducted, of which Study 1 and 2 pertained to the development of the measure and Study 3 was used to conduct the main analysis. The research focus centres around the following main objectives: a) refinement of conflict management models and instruments; b) profile analyses of Dutch and British conflict management approaches using Schwartz’s (1992, 1994) Value Types to explain observed differences, and c) testing of a model describing interrelations between cultural values, approaches to conflict management, conflict context, and perceived negotiation satisfaction. Previous research on conflict management modeled conflict behaviour on the basis of a concern for self vs. concern for others matrix, which incorporated communication styles. The present research distinguishes between the underlying concerns, conflict management strategies, and communication styles to predict perceived negotiation satisfaction. Furthermore, conflict management dynamics are investigated by comparing the ratings of own vs. other team’s conflict management approach. In-group vs. out-group differentiation was dependent on the social desirability of the conflict management approach in question. Dutch managers associated themselves less and British managers more with a concern for Inconvenience, Avoiding, and Indirect communication, whereas British managers associated themselves more and Dutch managers less with these approaches. Results for cultural values showed that the main difference between Dutch and British managers concerned a higher score for Dutch managers on Self Transcendence and a higher score on Self Enhancement for British managers. Self Enhancement mediated the effect for nationality for Dominating strategy. Furthermore, Self Transcendence predicted a concern for Clarity, a Problem Solving strategy, and a Consultative communication style. Nationality as predictor of Concern for Inconvenience, Avoiding strategy, and Indirect communication style was not mediated by Value Types. Suggestions are made for future research exploring the role of Uncertainty Avoidance at the individual level. Success and Comfort were predicted by own and other team’s Conflict Management Approach, additional to cultural value types and contextual variables. National differences were observed for particular predictors of perceived negotiation satisfaction

Multidisciplinary perspectives on intercultural conflict: the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of conflict, culture and communication.

A few decades ago, managers spent more than 20% of their time trying to resolve conflicts (Thomas and Schmidt 1976). Nowadays, conflicts are probably even more complex and time consuming to resolve, because technological advances, the world‟s exponential growth rate, and globalization have led to increased contact between culturally diverse people. Different norms, values, and language can make negotiating more stressful and less satisfactory (Brett and Okumura 1998), and conflict cannot be managed effectively without simultaneously considering both culture and communication. In fact, the three concepts of conflict, culture and communication are like a Bermuda Triangle – hazardous conditions will emerge unless the three are simultaneously handled appropriately. Conflict processes are studied by researchers in a range of disciplines, including organizational behaviour, management studies, (intercultural) communication studies, peace studies, and applied linguistics. Unfortunately, research in these various disciplines tends to exist in parallel fields, with infrequent passages across theoretical and empirical divides. In this chapter we provide an overview of key theoretical frameworks, explore some of the main views as to the impact of culture, and consider the interrelationships between conflict, culture and communication. We call for more interdisciplinary research, so that boundaries can be broken down and illuminating new insights can emerge

Ideology and culture

This chapter evaluates the role of culture and ideology in relation to journalism. Journalists cannot ignore that they are not operating in a vacuum, immune to environmental influences. A “western” (or any ideological) approach to journalism is not a neutral norm to which others need to adhere. Journalists can keep themselves and each other in check by questioning the approach taken to a story and identifying the lens they employ. Secondly, diverse recruitment within media organisations is key, not just in terms of ethnic, gender or national backgrounds but also in terms of value profiles. There is no one Nation which holds the gold standard for journalism and can be used as a reference point for all others. In other words, there is no such thing as Greenwich Mean Time journalism

Rectification of thermal fluctuations in ideal gases

We calculate the systematic average speed of the adiabatic piston and a thermal Brownian motor, introduced in [Van den Broeck, Kawai and Meurs, \emph{Microscopic analysis of a thermal Brownian motor}, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett.], by an expansion of the Boltzmann equation and compare with the exact numerical solution.Comment: 18 page

Expression profiling of metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in normal and degenerate human achilles tendon

To profile the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression for the 23 known genes of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), 19 genes of ADAMTS, 4 genes of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), and ADAM genes 8, 10, 12, and 17 in normal, painful, and ruptured Achilles tendons. Tendon samples were obtained from cadavers or from patients undergoing surgical procedures to treat chronic painful tendinopathy or ruptured tendon. Total RNA was extracted and mRNA expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, normalized to 18S ribosomal RNA. In comparing expression of all genes, the normal, painful, and ruptured Achilles tendon groups each had a distinct mRNA expression signature. Three mRNA were not detected and 14 showed no significant difference in expression levels between the groups. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences in mRNA expression, when adjusted for age, included lower levels of MMPs 3 and 10 and TIMP-3 and higher levels of ADAM-12 and MMP-23 in painful compared with normal tendons, and lower levels of MMPs 3 and 7 and TIMPs 2, 3, and 4 and higher levels of ADAMs 8 and 12, MMPs 1, 9, 19, and 25, and TIMP-1 in ruptured compared with normal tendons. The distinct mRNA profile of each tendon group suggests differences in extracellular proteolytic activity, which would affect the production and remodeling of the tendon extracellular matrix. Some proteolytic activities are implicated in the maintenance of normal tendon, while chronically painful tendons and ruptured tendons are shown to be distinct groups. These data will provide a foundation for further study of the role and activity of many of these enzymes that underlie the pathologic processes in the tendon

Does organizational formalization facilitate voice and helping organizational citizenship behaviors? It depends on (national) uncertainty norms

Prosocial work behaviors in a globalized environment do not operate in a cultural vacuum. We assess to what extent voice and helping organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) vary across cultures, depending on employees’ perceived level of organizational formalization and national uncertainty. We predict that in contexts of uncertainty, cognitive resources are engaged in coping with this uncertainty. Organizational formalization can provide structure that frees up cognitive resources to engage in OCB. In contrast, in contexts of low uncertainty, organizational formalization is not necessary for providing structure and may increase constraints on discretionary behavior. A three-level hierarchical linear modeling analysis of data from 7,537 employees in 267 organizations across 17 countries provides broad support for our hypothesis: perceived organizational formalization is weakly related to OCB, but where uncertainty is high; formalization facilitates voice significantly, helping OCB to a lesser extent. Our findings contribute to clarifying the dynamics between perceptions of norms at organizational and national levels for understanding when employees may engage in helping and voice behaviors. The key implication is that managers can foster OCB through organizational formalization interventions in uncertain environments that are cognitively demanding