Cross-cultural Organizational Conflicts and Ways of their Resolution (Elaboration of Coursera Online Course Materials)

Keywords: cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, organizational communication, online education, Coursera Cross-cultural communication ought to be one of the most essential skills in the fast globalizing world. It is especially true in the business world where entrepreneurs constantly face representatives of other cultures. However, their negotiations do not always go flawlessly. Conflicts also take place during important events and meetings. Therefore, it is of high relevance to investigate how these conflicts emerge and how they might be resolved. In this work, the problem of cultural diversity in organizations as a possible source of cross-cultural business conflicts is considered. The purpose of the study is to elaborate materials for a future online course which aims at helping current and future entrepreneurs to cope with cross-cultural organizational conflicts promptly and efficiently. The topicality of this study results from the lack of research on cross-cultural conflict and organizational communication examined together as a new separate phenomenon while taking into consideration the cultural element. Nevertheless, the demand for cross-cultural organizational conflict resolution and the ability to apply a proper online course dedicated to this issue is high at the moment. Qualitative methods will be applied in the study: the researcher will analyze relevant literature to develop a comprehensive and optimal online course to reach the assigned aim. It is expected that the materials will be used for managing the online course at the Coursera platform to increase entrepreneurs’ cultural awareness. Moreover, the current study has a practical application as it can be used as a blended course for bachelor students of foreign languages majoring in cross-cultural communication studies. This work is divided into two chapters: in the first one, the theoretical aspects are examined; in the second chapter, the practical part of the work takes place. The first chapter is dedicated to the phenomenon of conflicts, in general, and in the organizational world, in particular, and the analysis of the role of online education. Firstly, the notion of conflicts and its development over time are described. After that, types of usual conflicts and types of organizational conflicts are correlated with the causes of their emergence. Another part of the chapter is dedicated to the role of online education in the modern world with particular attention to the “Coursera” platform. At the end of the chapter, the structure of the “Coursera” platform is outlined, and its significance among other online education platforms is assessed. The second chapter is dedicated to the practical part of creating materials for the online course. The course itself consists of five weeks filled with written materials (lectures), additional materials for self-study, and quizzes. Firstly, the fundamental works of cross-cultural communication including organizational communication, are described during the first week as an introduction to the topic. Secondly, the premises of conflict are analyzed, including the causes and background information known. Thirdly, the preventive techniques to avoid conflict, and the ways to choose the appropriate technique are illustrated. Fourthly, the conflict-handling strategies and the way to use them are described, the role of a mediator in the conflict resolution is assessed. Lastly, case studies are provided as the final step of the program to demonstrate everything that was learned during the course (cases with a particular conflict).