Cross-Cultural Interfaces in Culturally Tight Societies: Task Negotiation and Latent Conflict

Abstract: Research on cross-cultural management has paid limited attention to how cultural differences are enacted through everyday supervisory interaction in culturally tight societies. This qualitative study examines cross-cultural supervision between Taiwanese supervisors and foreign white-collar employees in Taiwan. Interview data show that control-oriented task practices, such as limited explanation, close monitoring, and rigid procedures, are often experienced by foreign employees as signaling a lack of trust, giving rise to latent tension without overt conflict. At the same time, supervisors vary in how they enact authority. Some engage in task translation and grant autonomy within clear boundaries, reconfiguring control as accompanying guidance and fostering a team-centered, companionate form of trust. By conceptualizing routine supervision as a site of micro-negotiation, this study extends research on cultural tightness, leadership, and Culturally Endorsed Implicit Leadership Theory by highlighting leadership as an interactional accomplishment rather than a static cultural fit.

Keywords: Cross-cultural interaction, task negotiation, latent conflict, perceived trust gap, cultural tightness