2. MENUMENU
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: CulturalI. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background FactorsBackground 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.
5. I. Intercultural Conflict: CulturalI. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background FactorsBackground Factors
B. Intercultural Workplace Conflict Grid
• Uses two value dimensions
(individualism-collectivism and
power distance) to form grid with
four approaches..
6. I. Intercultural Conflict: CulturalI. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background FactorsBackground Factors
B. Intercultural Workplace Conflict Grid
7. I. Intercultural Conflict: CulturalI. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background FactorsBackground 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
nonverbal conflict styles.
8. I. Intercultural Conflict: CulturalI. Intercultural Conflict: Cultural
Background FactorsBackground 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
9. II. Intercultural Conflict ProcessII. Intercultural Conflict Process
FactorsFactors
A. Defining Conflict Styles:
Three approaches to studying conflict styles:
• Dispositional approach
• Situational approach
• Systems approach
10. II. Intercultural Conflict ProcessII. Intercultural Conflict Process
FactorsFactors
Five-style conflict grid
11. II. Intercultural Conflict ProcessII. Intercultural Conflict Process
FactorsFactors
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.
12. II. Intercultural Conflict ProcessII. Intercultural Conflict Process
FactorsFactors
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 Americans, and
Native Americans on a general patterned level?
13. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict SkillsIII. 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.
14. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict SkillsIII. 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”).
17. III. Flexible Intercultural Conflict SkillsIII. 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.
18. IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-AblesIV. 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 other’s
identity and relational expectation issues.
Remember listen can become silent and vice versa
19. IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-
AblesAbles
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.
20. Parting Thoughts…Parting Thoughts…
Conflict = Chaos = Danger + Opportunity
Learn to listen to the identity stories, yearnings,
and nuances behind the fighting words.
~ Stella Ting-Toomey