Conflict Across Cultures

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Conflict Across Cultures

• Dr. Carol Reade
• International Comparative Management
• San José State University

2
Conflict and Culture

• What is conflict?
• A situation in which two or more interdependent
  people or groups perceive an incompatibility in
  the needs or interests they seek to achieve
• Conflict is inevitable and universal
• Conflict is also shaped by culture
• What constitutes a conflict varies across
  cultures
• Responses to conflict are culturally determined
• How conflicts are resolved, including the role of
  third parties, in any, also depends on culture

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Conflict and Culture

• Conflict in all cultures is characterized by
  multilevel communication, alternate movement
  between subtle cues and visible behaviors,
  intricate combinations of covert responses and
  overt reactions, ambivalent feelings and
  polarized perspectives, defensive strategies of
  concealment and offensive attempts to provoke
  crisis, and so on. All these multifactorial,
  multilevel, multiple-meaning signals, cues, and
  behaviors leave the knowledgeable participant
  confused and the outsider confounded.
• - David W. Augsburger
• Conflict Mediation Across Cultures (p. 24)

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The Where of Conflict(The context in which a
conflict erupts)

• In individualistic, low-context cultures
• Shaped by the individual
• Perceived linearly, as a one-to-one difference
• Addressed explicitly (I cant accept this
  proposal as submitted)
• In collectivistic, high-context cultures
• Determined by culture and social norms/controls
• Perceived holistically, with mutually reinforcing
  causes and consequences
• Approached indirectly (I am not completely
  satisfied with this proposal)

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The Why of Conflict(The reason for the
conflict)

• In individualistic, low-context cultures
• More likely to perceive conflict as instrumental
• Triggered by violation of individual expectations
• Individual is responsible, others need permission
  to interfere
• In collectivistic, high-context cultures
• More likely to perceive conflict as expressive
• Triggered by violation of group norms or ethos
• Individual inconvenience is ignored, but behavior
  that conflicts with group values must be
  addressed

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The What of Conflict(The attitude and action
of participants)

• In individualistic, low-context cultures
• Confrontational, one-on-one negotiating style
• Resolved by the two parties, preferably without a
  mediator
• Capacity to directly address difficulties and
  differences sign of personal maturity
• In collectivistic, high-context cultures
• Non-confrontational, triangular resolution style
• Third-party approaches widely used
• Provide objectivity, emotional distance,
  face-saving and consideration of contextual
  issues

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Conflict and Facework

• Do not remove a fly from your neighbors face
  with a hatchet.
• Chinese proverb

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Conflict and Facework
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Saving Face

• Members of all cultures negotiate over the
  concept of face
• Individualistic, low-context cultures emphasize
• self-positive face (expressing need for
  inclusion)
• self-negative face (defending self from
  infringement)
• Collectivistic, high-context cultures emphasize
• other-positive face (ensuring the other feels
  included)
• other-negative face (signaling respect for
  others space)

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Case The Hit-and Run Driver

• Consider each partys
• Communication style
• Direct, indirect
• Elaborate, exacting, succinct
• Reasoning process
• Linear and rational or affective?
• Face-saving strategy
• Emphasis on self or other/positive or negative
  face?
• Worldview
• Is it a matter of fate or personal
  responsibility?

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Conflict Resolution Day October 16th

• Mediation
• Conciliation
• Negotiation
• Arbitration
• Facilitation

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Moving from danger to opportunity

• The Japanese view of crisis (kiki) as
  representing two sides of the same coin danger
  and opportunity

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Mediation

• Cross-cultural applications
• The case of labor mediation in Sri Lanka

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Cross-Cultural Considerations

• Interest-based mediation found to be consistent
  with ancient Sri Lankan village council system,
  the Gam Sabha
• Get to root of problem
• Bring interests to surface
• Creative search for options
• Craft solutions acceptable to all parties