The perceptions of work-related conflicts of Swedish and non-Swedish employees in Volvo X

Abstract

This paper investigates the perceptions of work-related conflicts in Volvo X. Through conducting the qualitative research, interviewing 20 employees - 11 Swedish and 9 non-Swedish - we found that there is no significant difference between these two sample groups what concerns to perceptions of conflicts. However many smaller, interesting findings are presented and qualitatively analyzed in this paper. Both Swedish and non-Swedish employees perceive contradicting goals between departments as the main cause of the conflicts in Volvo X. Results show that both Swedish and non-Swedish see intercultural communication as both potential and as a challenge. Moreover, data also shows that the conflicts are perceived in many cases as negative process, however with many possible positive outcomes. Research also shows that employees perceive that Swedish tend to avoid conflicts which is also supported by theoretical framework.