lecture 12 - culture conflict

8/10/2019 Lecture 12 - Culture Conflict

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Lecture 12

Conflicts and cultural differences


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The nature of conflict

Definition: A conflict appears when people with differing needs or

goals are preventedor perceive that they are being preventedby

others in achieving these needs or goals

Realistic group conflict theory: source of inter-group conflict is struggle

over (limited) structural resources, not personal characteristics

Social identity theory: conflict between groups is seen to be the result

of perceived identities


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Conflict and (cultural) groups

Ting-Toomey (1999):

(cross-cultural) conflict involves:

(cultural) groups protecting their own self-image

intercultural perceptions coloured by ethnocentrism andstereotypes

not just the situation but also communicative behaviours, which are

profoundly shaped by the way individuals in a culture

conceptualize the sense of self


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Concept of self-construal

How people perceive themselves

Ting-Toomey distinguishes between

Those with anindependent sense of selfwelcome communication in

the conflict process, if both parties are open: this may bring tangible,

creative solutions Those with an interdependent sense of selfsee conflict as negative

and unproductive, particularly if the other party is assertive/not

properly address relational feelings

Independent self-concepts found more often in individualist cultures;

interdependent self-concepts more prevalent in collectivistic cultures


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A model of conflict styles

A persons conflict style: patterned responses or clusters of behavior

that people use in conflict

Thomas and Kilmann model (1974) based on two factors in a persons

conflict style: assertiveness:the degree to which a person is concerned with his

or her own interests

cooperativeness: the degree to which a person is concerned with

the interests of others


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Two-dimensional taxonomy of conflict handling modesSource:Thomas and Kilman (1974), p. 11 (adapted)

Conflict handling modes

Concern for

self

Assert iveness

H

I

G

H

Competing

Collaborating

Compromising

L

O

W

Avoiding Accommodating

LOW HIGH

Concern for other

Co-operativeness


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A model for intercultural conflict management :

Why the need?

Can such a dual concern model handle the increasing complexity of

modern-day disputes?


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Relationship

Leung, K. et al.(2002) propose the introduction of harmonyinto the

model: concerns itself with the relationshipbetween the self and the

other

Harmony: focus on using a conflict-free relationship to achieve a goal

Reason to include this aspect is made in the light of their investigation

into conflict avoidance which is:

a feature common in East Asia, and one associated with collectivistic

cultures

can cause equal harm in a more subtle manner: replacing genuine

problem-solving with superficial harmony


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Emotions

Kumar (2004) uses the individualist/collectivist cultural dimension. He

distinguishes between:

Ego-focused emotions such as anger, pride and guilt, linked to thenon-fulfilment of individual goals

Other-focused emotions such as shame, anxiety and fear, relatedto the (in-)ability to promote the interdependent self

Individualist, ego-focused emotions can cause individuals to try harder

to reach their goals

Collectivist, other-focused emotions can cause individuals to repair the

damage done to relations


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Emotions

In negotiation conflict:

those with negative ego-focused feelings will put pressure on theiropponents to make concessions

those experiencing other-focused may adjust their expectations to

get an agreement Emotions could drive them even further apart, with one side

attempting to force a resolution and the other withdrawing from any

interaction

Emotions can exacerbate the in-group/out-group distinction and

make any resolution of the conflict even more difficult


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Intercultural approach to conflict

Ting-Toomey et al.(2000) advocate the inclusion of emotional

expression in Thomas-Kilmanns model to account for the many

subtleties in conflict management


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An eight-style conflict grid: An intercultural approachSource:Ting-Toomey and Oetzel (2002), p. 160

Intercultural approach to conflict

Obliging

Dominating

Neglect

(Passive-

Aggressive)

Integrating

Emotional

expression

Third-PartyHelp

Compromising

Avoiding

Other face concern

HIGHLOW

L

O

W

H

I

G

H

S

e

l

f

-

f

a

c

e

c

o

n

c

e

r

n

Responses that side-step

conflict and cause

indirect reaction from

the other party

Use an outsider who is

acceptable to both sides

to act as mediator


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Emotional expression: A study

Adam et al (2010):

How the emotions of anger affect negotiations across cultures,

particularly between Europeans/Americans and (American) Asians

Showing anger produced larger concessions from European/American

negotiators but smaller concessions from Asian and Asian Americannegotiators

Adam, H., Shirako, A. and Maddux, W.W. (2010) Cultural variance in the interpersonal effects of anger

in negotiations, Psychological Science, 21, 882-889


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Mediation

In Asia-Pacific: the mediator deals with concerns of group as a whole;legitimacy rests on

their social status within the group

their knowledge of traditions, personal characteristics

In West: the mediators task is tightly focused: authority defined more interms of their expertise and experience

The mediator can:

reframe the content and process issues of both parties

transform the whole conflict in terms of the attitudes and behaviour

of those involved


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Management of conflict

The way conflicts are addressed can vary considerably from culture toculture. These differences relate to:

the degree to which disagreement is acceptable and therefore the

extent to which conflict is tolerated

the strategies to be adopted when dealing with conflicts

when the manager needs to intervene and the way s/he intervenes


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Tinsley (1998):

Japanese managers: status power model where conflict are

resolved by higher authority

German managers: regulations model where conflict are resolved

using pre-existing procedures or rules

US managers: interest model where conflicts are resolved by

resolving underlying concerns of the other party to make it

worthwhile to reach an agreement

Management of conflict

Tinsley, C (1998) Models of conflict resolution in Japanese, German and American cultures,

Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(2), 316-323


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Mindfulness

Ting-Toomey (1999) suggests that skills to do with mindfulness can

enhance conflict management:

mindful reframing

translate (non-)verbal messages from the context of the others

cultural viewpoint re-set priorities after mindfully observing and listening to the

viewpoints and expectations of their opponents

collaborative dialogue

grasp the cultural and personal elements involved

get the others to talk about expectations, face issues


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Examples

Managing conflict in the Asia-Pacific region

Malaysia (Mansor, 1998)

Thailand (Roongrengsuke & Chansuthus, 1998)

Korea (Cho & Park, 1998)


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Managing conflict in Malaysia

Core values: durability of personal relations, even if a strong

divergence of opinion results in conflict

concern for face : across all ethnic groups

concern for others: generosity, respect, honesty and sincerity, beingupright and caring

respect for seniority: in some conflicts a third person, a neutral

senior clarifies key issues

subordinates will never confront their superior, will be

uncooperative and eventually resign themselves to the way theirboss behaves


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Managing conflict in Thailand

The name Thailand The Land of Smiles reflects the social

harmony in this country. A Thai smiles in pleasant andstress-filled

situations

Smile hides feelings in public: self-discipline to maintain status,

prestige and face: concept of jai yen (cool heart) derived fromBuddhism

Individualism quite predominant, but Thais are more relationship-

oriented than results-oriented

Conflict is rarely regarded as either positive or negative: if a conflict

arises, a third party (traditionally a respected elder) is called upon tomediate


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Case example: A Grim Silence

A British manager, upset about the continued unauthorised borrowing ofequipment between departments, burst in on a meeting being held by his

Thai subordinates and loudly berated the responsible person in front of

his peers.

Unwilling to dignify the insulting behaviour with a response, the Thaisremained silent, smiling grimly, until the offending manager left.

The incident was followed, however, by a work slowdown and a spate of

resignations of key personnel.


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Managing conflict in (South) Korea

Korea reflects in a way the differences and similarities between

western and eastern attitudes to conflict

Koreans prefer a non-competitive (or non-dominating) strategy in

face-to-face conflict situation

Prefer to use a superior or authoritarian personality to resolve conflict

Differentiate between in-group and out-group situations: when dealing

with out-groups, strategy is comparable to Western competitive

approach

lecture 12 - culture conflict

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