Suchergebnisse

The starting point of this thesis was that diplomats abroad must interact effectively with people who have different values, behavioural norms and ways of perceiving reality, otherwise their contact with the culture and the people from the new culture will be a negative and inefficient one. My basic idea was that in the case of diplomacy we can speak about an overlap with diplomats belonging to two cultures. The most international management literature frames intercultural differences as areas of conflict. Cultural misunderstandings are often experienced as conflicts, and the conflicts are seen as threats. In diplomatic relations, threats and conflicts can lead to war. Since cultural misunderstandings and conflicts are considered as problems to be avoided, if diplomats abroad have the necessary skills and knowledge their task will be much easier. I explore the concept of intercultural communication competence in diplomacy. My intention is to prove that the communication process in diplomacy is of a special nature and a lot of its aspects are unique in this field, precisely because they are international and a generally valid solution cannot be found. This field was not of so much interest and this can partially explain the many cases of miscommunication, misunderstanding and misperception in diplomacy. The consequences could be major for the diplomat as person and for the country he represents. One of my goals is to explain what the communication problems in diplomacy and negotiations are when people with different cultural backgrounds encounter each other. The structure of the thesis includes introduction, methodology, six chapters, conclusions, bibliography, transcript of the 26 interviews and annexes. Chapter 1 gives the definition and etymology of the word 'diplomacy' and presents briefly the history of diplomacy (based on Nicolson - 1954, Callieres - 1919, Martens - 1832, 1851). The need for and the advantages of diplomatic dialogue are other topics included in this chapter, with references to the need for ...