CULTURE, COMMUNICATION

AND CONFLICTNguyen Duc Hanh – s3312619Tran Thi Phuc Thuan – s3160796

Lecturer: Duong Trong Hue

Table of Contents• Characteristics of Intercultural Conflict• Conflict Types • Cultural Influences on Conflict Management• Managing Intercultural Conflict

Characteristics of Intercultural Conflict

• Language Issues• Ambiguity• Contradictory Conflict Styles

Types of Conflict

• Affective conflict• Conflict of interest• Value conflict• Cognitive conflict• Goal conflict

Activity

Types of Conflict

• Affective conflict: people become aware that their feelings and emotions are incompatible

• Conflict of interest: people have incompatible preferences for a course of action or plan to pursue

• Value conflict: occur when people have different ideologies

• Cognitive conflict: two or more people become aware that their perceptions are in conflict

• Goal conflict: people have different outcomes(Martin & Nakayama 2008)

Cultural Influences on Conflict Management

• Family influences• Gender, Ethnicity and Conflict• Religion and Conflict• Value Differences • Differences of Conflict Styles between individualists and

collectivists:

(Rahim 1986)

Role Playing Game <3

Cultural Influences on Conflict Management (cont.)

• Direct and Indirect Conflict Approaches

Direct Indirect

- Conflicts are fundamentally good for

relationships deal with it directly

- Concentrate on using precise language- Objective: to select the best solution

- Conflicts are destructive for

relationships avoid or deal with it indirectly- Concentrate on the meaning that apart from verbal message- Objective: maintaining the relationships during disagreement

Cultural Influences on Conflict Management (cont.)

• Emotional expressiveness/ Restrain Conflict Style

Emotionally expressive style Restrain style

- It is better to show emotion during disagreement- Show emotion through expressive nonverbal behavior- Credibility is based on the ability to be expressive

- Disagreements are best discussed in an emotionally calm manner- Avoid nonverbal emotion

- Credibility is demonstrated by maintaining tight control over one’s emotions

Managing Intercultural Conflict

• Productive vs. Destructive Conflict

Productive Conflict Destructive Conflict

- Identify the specific problem- Focus on the original issue- Cooperative problem solving- Value leadership that stresses mutually satisfactory outcomes

- Make sweeping generalizations- Escalate the issues- Seize power - Value leaders who polarize

Managing Intercultural Conflict (cont.)

• Competitive vs. Cooperative conflict- competitive atmosphere poor communication- cooperative atmosphere open communication

Once conflicts started to escalate, it is more difficult to turn a competitive into a cooperative relationship

References• ‘BF’ 2012, The Abbys World, image, 20 January, viewed 24 April 2012,

<http://www.theabbysworld.com/2012/01/open-discussion-readers-question-is-my.html>.

• ‘Conflict’ 2012, The medical student, image, 8 February, viewed 25 April 2012, <http://medic-student.blogspot.com/2012/02/conflict.html >.

• ‘Forever alone’ 2012, Forever Alone comics, image, viewed 24 April 2012, <http://foreveralonecomic.com/post/1584120396/forever-alone-comic-poker-face>.

• ‘Jennifer Lopez’ 2011, bluemelody, image, viewed 24 April 2012, <http://www.bluemelodyvn.com/phuongthaongocle/begin.php?mode=tintuc_id&id=3660&id_chinh=71>.

• ‘Male dominated culture’ 2012, Nedmartin, image, viewed 24 April 2012, < http://nedmartin.org/v3/amused/male-dominated-culture>.

• Martin J & Nakayama T 2008, ‘Culture, communication & conflict’ in Experiencing intercultural communication: An introduction, 3rd Edn, McGraw-Hill, USA, pp. 209-234.

References (cont.)

• Martin J & Nakayama T 2010, Intercultural Communication in Contexts, 8th edn, McGraw Hill, NY.

• Medin, D L 2006, ‘Culture and Resource Conflict: Why Meanings Matter’, Amazon, viewed 25 April 2012, <http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Resource-Conflict-Meanings-Matter/dp/0871545705>.

• Rahim, A 1986, ‘A measure of styles of handling interpersonal conflict’, Academy of management journal, vol. 26, no. 2, pp.368-376.

• Samovar, L, Porter, R & McDaniel, E 2009, Intercultural Communication: A reader, Wadsworth, MA.

• Samovar, L, Porter, R & McDaniel, E 2010, Communication between cultures, Wadsworth, MA.

• ‘SNSD’ 2010, 24h, image, viewed 24 April 2012, <http://hn.24h.com.vn/ca-nhac-mtv/snsd-khoe-chan-dai-mien-man-c73a299543.html>.

• ‘Ugly truth’ 2009, Impawards, image, viewed 24 April 2012, <http://www.impawards.com/2009/ugly_truth.html>.