CULTURE AND CONFLICT

IN THE WORKPLACE

WHAT ASPECTS OF CULTURE

PERPETUATE CONFLICT?
It is no secret tha t cultural differences can lead to
tension in the workplace. With the ever expanding climate
of global business, it is becoming more and more important
to be compentent in conflict analysis and intercultural
communication.
Cultural orientation to conflict and negotiation is
perhaps the most important factor of conflict between
cultures. These foundational beliefs effect how individuals
and organizations approach, address, and resolve conflict.
Recent research suggests that preference or dispreference
toward conflict should be viewed as a continuum.
Understanding it in that continuum can unlock a
comprehensive knowledge about cultural sensitivity as it
relates to conflict.
Within intercultural communication there are several
dialectic continuums that outline fundamental differences
between some cultures. The primary six dialectics are

cultural-individual, personal-sociocontextual, differencessimilarities, static-dynamic, future-past, and privilegedisadvantage. The cultural (collectivist)-individual dialectic
can be observed by comaring U.S. and Chinese cultures. The
U.S. values individualism and we often put our own needs
before those of a group. In China, people believe that they
are secondary to the good of their family and culture.
In a similar way, research has highlighted the differences
between German culture and British culture in respect to
disagreement preference. German culture does not see
conflict as something to be avoided, enjoys a heated debate,
and appreciates when people have an opinion. British
culture, along with New Zealand and Main Land Chinese
culture, seeks to avoid disagreement, constantly looks for
common ground, restrains emotions, and sees disagreement
as a precursor to conflict. Can you think back to a time when
you misinterpreted someones interntions based on culture?
[1]

Peace is not the absence of conflict but the

presence of creative alternatives for
responding to conflict alternatives to
passive or aggressive responses, alternatives
to violence.

-Dorothy Thompson

Are you taking conflict

too personally?
In your desire to be unique and
develop your strengths, do you
find yourself feeling personally
attacked? Its okay, research
says it is both temporary and the
mark of a strong personality.
It is also important for you to
know that this tendency can lead
to destructive conflict. It is also
positively related to conflict
avoidance, revenge motivation,
and aggressiveness.
What can you do to relieve this
tension? Well first, you should
know that orientation toward
criticism is a cultural notion.
Western culture tends to value
constructive criticism whereas
Easter culture tends to become
more defensive in response.
Your next step is to be curious.
Before taking it personally, seek
to first understand where the
other person is speaking from.
Have a conversation; it will help
build both your relationship and
conflict management skills.

Creating the Third Culture

There is a dark side of cultural differences in that it, by nature, creates
an other. This puts us at odds with people before we even meet
them. Extreme reactions to otherness lead to apartheid, annihilation,
or assimilation. It is important in these times to remember that all
people belong to multiple cultures (i.e. country, family, work place).
In the same way we are able to create new personal cultures, when
communicating with someone from another culture, one should seek
to ultimately create a third culture. This third culture is one that you
build together through interaction and discourse. Marsh highlights
that this third culture is an appeal to our humanity because it is the
only culture to which all belong. The way this new culture is created
initially is through storytelling. It develops a shared past from which a
relationship is built. Our individual stories help define and explain our
symbols and rituals which create understanding between two
individuals and two cultures.
[2]

Culture:

The social environment

in which one lives;
maintained through
patterns of interaction,
ritual behavior,
communication, and
environmental
structure; manifested
through shared
symbols, heroes, rituals,
and values.
(Marsh, 2013)

4 Steps to Overcoming Intercultural Conflict

RESEARCH
SAYS...

1. Stop for a moment and think about the situation

2. Be Curious
- Why do you see the world differently?
- Do you actually have the same goal?
- Build relationships
3. Be Accepting
- To whoever and whatever you are dealing with
4. Be Open
- What can you learn from this experience/person?
- How can you grow from this?
5. Be Compassionate
- ALWAYS. It does not cost anything to be kind.

Allenby,B. (2015). The paradox of

dominance; The age of civilizational
conflict. Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists . 71(2). 60-74.
Kim, E. et al. (2015). Effects of
taking conflict personally on conflict
management styles across cultures.
Personality and Individual
Differences. 72. 143-149.
Marsh, I. (2013). An interpersonal
neurobiology view of the diverse roles
of culture in conflict. China Media
Research. 9(4). 58-65.
Stadler, S. (2013). Cultural difference
in the orientation to disagreement and
conflict. China Media Research. 9(4).
66-75.
Tjosvold, D. (2013). Developing a
shared understanding of conflict:
Foundations for sino-western
mediation. China Media Research.
9(4). 76-84.

[3]

Food for thought:

-

Think of a time when you struggled in conflict with someone

from another culture.

How could you have reacted differently/more effectively?

What elements of your culture are most important to you?

Do you think those elements are important to others too?