1. Understanding Intercultural
Communication Second Edition
Chapter 9
How Can We Manage Intercultural
Conflict Flexibly?
Stella Ting-Toomey & Leeva C. Chung
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
PowerPoint Slides Designed by Alex Flecky and Noorie Baig

2. TODAY’S MENU
I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
II. Intercultural Conflict Process
Factors
III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict
Skills
IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-
Ables

3. I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
Intercultural conflict:
The implicit or explicit emotional struggle or
frustration between persons of different
cultures over perceived incompatible
values, norms, face
orientations, goals, scarce
resources, processes, and/or outcomes in a
communication situation.

4. I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
A. Culture-Based Conflict Lenses
Independent-self conflict Interdependent-self
lens conflict lens
Content conflict goal lens Relational process lens
Win-lose conflict Win-win relational
approach approach
“Doing” angle “Being” angle
Outcome-driven mode Long-term compromising
negotiation mode

5. I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
B. Intercultural Workplace Conflict Grid
• Uses two value dimensions
(individualism-collectivism and power
distance) to form grid with four
approaches.
• Complete my.blog 9.1 on page 183 to
find out your conflict lens… then think
of the pros & cons of each conflict
style.

6. I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
B. Intercultural Workplace Conflict Grid

7. I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
View this video on intercultural conflict
in the workplace.
Discussion Questions:
• Compare and contrast the different verbal styles
of the people in this video.
• Use the workplace conflict grid to assess the
different conflict styles.
• What would be your specific intercultural
teaching or coaching strategies?

8. I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
C. Intercultural Conflict Perceptions:
Three primary perception features of
intercultural conflict:
1. Conflict involves intercultural
perceptions, filtered through lenses of
ethnocentrism and stereotypes.
2. Ethnocentric perceptions add biases
and prejudice to conflict attribution
process.
3. Attribution process further compounded
by different culture-based verbal and

9. I. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background Factors
D. Intercultural Conflict Goal Issues
1. Content goals
2. Relational conflict goals
3. Identity-based goals
E. Perceived Scarce Resources
1. Conflict resources
2. Tangible resources
3. Intangible resources

10. II. Intercultural Conflict Process
Factors
A. Defining Conflict Styles:
Three approaches to studying conflict
styles:
• Dispositional approach
• Situational approach
• Systems approach

11. II. Intercultural Conflict Process
Factors
Five-style conflict grid

12. II. Intercultural Conflict Process
Factors
Activity:
Draw an animal that depicts your
prototypical conflict style
Now assess your specific conflict style –
complete my.blog 9.3 on page 193
• Discuss your style with a partner.
• Think of the pros & cons of each conflict
style

13. II. Intercultural Conflict Process
Factors
B. Cross-Cultural Conflict Styles
• Face: Socially approved self-image
and other-image consideration issues.
• Facework: Verbal and nonverbal
strategies used to maintain, defend, or
upgrade our social self-image and
attack or defend (“save”) social
images of others.

14. II. Intercultural Conflict Process
Factors
B. Cross-Cultural Conflict Styles
Face-negotiation theory helps
explain how individualism-collectivism
value patterns influence use of
diverse conflict styles in different
situations.
C. Cross-Ethnic Conflict Styles and
Facework
Can you guess the different kinds of conflict
styles used by African Americans, Asian
Americans, European Americans, Latino/a

15. II. Intercultural Conflict Process
Factors
• Media Activity: Spanglish film clip
Discussion Questions:
• What did you notice about the conflict scene
between John and Flor?
• Can you identify all the verbal and nonverbal
clashes?
• What conflict goals were involved in the incident?
Cite some specific examples.

16. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict
Skills
A. Facework Management
• Self-oriented face-saving behaviors:
Attempts to regain or defend one’s image
after threats to face or face loss.
• Other-oriented face-giving behaviors:
Attempts to support others’ face claims
and work with them to prevent further face
loss or help them restore face
constructively. Giving face means not
humiliating others in public.

17. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict
Skills
B. Mindful Listening
• A face-validation and power-sharing
skill; listening with focused attentiveness
to cultural and personal assumptions
expressed.
• Involves learning to listen responsively,
or ting (Chinese: “attending mindfully
with our ears, eyes, and a focused
heart”).

18. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict
Skills
B. Mindful Listening

19. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict
Skills
Mindless Listening Mindful Listening
Ethnocentric lens Ethnorelative lens
Reactive approach Proactive/choice
Selective hearing approach
Defensive posture Attentive listening
“Struggle against” Supportive posture
Judgmental attitude “Struggle with”
Emotional outbursts Mindful reframing
Coercive power Vulnerability shared
Positional differences Shared power
Fixed objectives Common interests
Win-lose/lose-lose Creative options
outcome Win-win synergy

20. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict
Skills
C. Cultural Empathy
Perspective-take accurately the self-
experiences of others and convey your
understanding responsively.
D. Mindful Reframing
How you “frame” conflict via neutrally-toned
language may soften conflict
defensiveness.
E. Adaptive Code-Switching
Purposefully modifying one’s verbal and
nonverbal behaviors in conflict interaction.

21. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict
Skills
Reframing Skills Activity
 How did these conflicts go? How helpful do you
think the reframing statements were to the
conflict? Did any partners end up with win–win
solutions?
 Coaches: how did it feel to try to reframe “in the
moment?“
 Conflict parties: Do you believe you reacted
differently to your partner’s reframed statement
rather than how you would have reacted to the
original statement? How?

22. IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-
Ables
To deal with conflict in a collectivistic
culture, individualists need to do the
following:
1. Be mindful of mutual face-saving premises,
especially delicate balance of humiliation and
pride, respect and disrespect, and shame and
honor issues.
2. Practice patient, mindful observation and limit
“why?” questions.
3. Practice mindful listening skills, attend to
others’ identity and relational expectation
issues. Remember listen can become silent

23. IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-
Ables
In conflict situations in an individualistic
culture, collectivists need to do the
following:
1. Use assertive conflict behavior and state a
clear thesis, then systematically develop key
points.
2. Use “I” statements and more “why?”
questions.
3. Engage in active listening skills (rephrasing
and perception checking); do not rely solely on
nonverbal signals or count on other people to
gauge personal reactions.

24. Parting Thoughts…
Conflict = Chaos = Danger + Opportunity
Learn to listen to the identity stories,
yearnings,
and nuances behind the fighting words.
~ Stella Ting-Toomey