Research on the Moderating Effect of Emotional Response on Cultural Conflict from the Perspective of Cross-cultural Differences
Abstract
 Based on the theory of social identity and cross-cultural conflict, this paper examines the influence mechanism of the cultural differences perceived by employees of multinational corporations on cultural conflicts. By gathering 322 surveys of employees of multinational companies in China, it is found that (1) Cross-cultural differences perceived by multinational enterprises’ employees have a positive influence on the occurrence of cultural conflicts within the company; (2) The employees' cultural identity to the organization mediates employees' perceived cross-cultural differences and cultural conflicts; (3) The moderating influence of employees’ emotional response on the mediation effect of employees' cultural identity is confirmed, ie. the emotional response of employees weakens the negative relationship between cross-cultural differences and cultural identity. This further enhances the positive role of cultural identity to mitigate cultural conflicts. This research expands the research perspective of cross-cultural conflicts and provides a new theoretical framework for cross-cultural conflict management. It provides new reflections on the cultural conflicts in multinational corporations from the perspective of management culture differences between home and host countries.
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