Chapter10 [] IntercutturatConfhct 337
1. Define intelcultural conflict .
2. Define facework and identify three plimary facewo& strategies
Save your time - order a paper!
Get your paper written from scratch within the tight deadline. Our service is a reliable solution to all your troubles. Place an order on any task and we will take care of it. You won’t have to worry about the quality and deadlines
Order Paper Now
3. List and define the five primaly and three secondary styles of conflict communication
4. Identify and discuss the conflict styles preferred by individuahstic and collectivistic cultures
5. Idenufy and discuss the conflict styles preferred by high- versus low-context cultures
6. Explain and apply the components of the contingency model of cross-cultural conflict
Imagine yourself m the following situation:
INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT
Mahatma Gandhi
Honest disagreement Js often a good sign of progress.
Aklra Abe is an internauonal exchange student from Japan who lives down the hall from you m your dorm. You have interacted with Aklra only occasionally and do not know him very well. This morning, Akira approached you to compiam that you frequently play your music so loudly that he Is unable to study or sleep. Aklra then asked if you would please stop playing your music so loudly.
What would you do m this situation? How would you resolve this conflict? Would you comply with Akira’s request? Would you argue with Akira?
Conflict, such as the one depicted above, is an inevitable part of living in a society with others. All types of human relationships–from strangers to acquaintances to intimates– experience conflict. Communication plays a paradoxical role in most conflicts because communicauon is required both to instigate conflict and to resolve it. Unfortunately, conflict is the source of much relational stress and dissolution; fortunately, the successful resolution of conflict is one of the strongest and most consistent predictors of relational sausfaction. Hence, an understanding of conflict and how to resolve it is an essential part of becoming a competent communicator, especially in your relationships with persons from other cultures.
DEFINITION OF INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT In the past 30 years, a growing body of theory and iesearch has emerged m the intercultural communication literature regarding the nature of intercultural conflict Much of this research Is based on the work of Stella Tmg-Toomey and John Oetzel) They define intercultural conflict as
the implicit ot exphcit emotional struggle between persons of different cultural commumties over perceived ol actual incompatibility of cultural ideologies and values, situational norms, goals, face-orientations, scarce resources, styles/processes,
)ntercu Interethnm Confl.Jct An InterdlscJphnary Overwew In J B Gÿttier {Ed 1, Annual Review of Conflict Knowledge and Conflict Resolution {Vot 1] New York GarLand, KLm, Y Y (19901 Explaining Interethmc Conflict An Interdisciplinary Overwew Paper presented at the annual convention of the Speech Comrnunlcatlon Assoctahon Chicago, IL
Micro Levelÿ
Akira’s complaint, you may intentionally turn up the volume on youi music. Imagine two employees worldng together, each fiom a different cultme, who have gross stereotypes of each other, are both ethnocentric, fear each other, and have highly divergent behavioral patterns Kim’s model predicts that such a situation is likely to engender conflict.5
The mtermedmry level of intercultural conflict refers to the actual location and context of the conflict. Some envuonments (e.g., neighborhoods, school, work) may be more likely than others to facilitate conflmt. Segregation and contact refer to the extent to whmh the individuals’ cultmal groups interact on a daily basis. Perhaps the most basic condition for intercultural conflict is contact between diverse cultures or ethnicitles on a day-to-day basis. Segregated wotkplaces or schools do not allow for much interaction, and components at the individual level (e.g, cognitive rigidity, m-group bias) tend to escalate to intolerable levels that facilitate intercultural conflmt. Intergroup salience refels to the observable physical and social differences between the confllcung mdwiduals. Such cultural markets include distinct physical and behavioral differences, such as race, language, and speech patterns.
As Kim notes, to the extent that the groups are cukurally distinct, the communicative skills of the less powerful cultural group will clash with those of the majority gioup members. The majority group’s symbol system is dominant. Status &screpancy refers to the degree to which conflicting parties differ in status along cukural lines. For example, African Americans often argue that U.S. culture practices an asymmetrical power snucture They may feel that the U S. corporate culture reflects the same asymmetry. On the job, managels and supervisors have more powei than workers. If all the managers in a business are of one race or ethnicity and all the workers are of another, then the status discrepancy is helghtened.6
Recall from Chapter 1 that a fundamental assumption of mteicultulal communication is that it Js a group phenomenon experienced by m&viduals. Likewise, duimg intercultural conflict, one’s group membership (l.e, culture) becomes a factor in how conflmt is perceived, managed, ÿ and resolved Some of these cultmal factms may be unconscious, such as one’s degree ofmdwiduahsm or c ollecnvism. Other factors are probably very conscious. Recall your conflict with Akira. The two of you are flora different cultural communities, have mcompanble goals, and desue d,fferent outcomes. You choose to play your music loudly. Akna piefets that you not play your musm loudly Flora a socmhistorical perspecnve, you may wondei if all Japanese ate quiet and dishke loud music. Perhaps Akira quest,ons If all Americans ale l ude and insensmve to the wishes of otheis. Although the conflict between you and Akna could Just as easily have occuued between two U.S. students oi two Japanese students, the fact that it happened between a U.S student and a Japanese student comphcates the issue.
Ting-Toomey and Oetzel maintain that intercultural conflict involves a ceitam degree of ethnocentiic percepuon and judgment. Recall from Chaptei 1 and Chapter 5 that ethnocenmc pmsons hold attitudes and behaviors about their in-group that ate bmsed m favor of the m-group, often at the expense of out-groups Ethnocentric persons fostei cooperative ldatlons with m-group members while competing with, and peihaps even battling, out-group members 3 Hence, by virtue of our cultural upbringing, we think we ate correct (i.e., loud musm is great vs. loud music is disrespectful). To explain intercultural conflict further, three models will be presented next’ Young Kim’s Model of Intercultuial Conflict, Tmg-Toomey and Oetze!’s Culture-Based Social Ecological Conflict Model, and BenJamin Bloome’s Model of Building a Culture of Peace ÿltÿrough Dialogue.
339
340 IntercuLtural. Comrnunlcatlon Chapter10 m Intercu
342 IntercuLtural. Commumcatlon Chapter 10 [] IntercutturatConfhct 343
Nicole
Mike
Severat of the factors outhned In the KIm mode[ can be appljed to this brief confbct exchange between Mike and NIco[e In terms of the micro flndwldua[} revel, Mike’s cog- mhve rigidity and slmphclty are reflected m his mftexlbte stance about Nicote’s infor- mahty, which doesn’t seem to be an Issue with her customers since none of them has
comptamed, and his tack of knowtedge about commumcahon degrees Regardmgthe intermediary [eve[, that Mike prefers for Nicote to cal.[ him “Mr Fablon” hlghhghts the status discrepancy between them That Mike meets with his emptoyees onty once a year shows that he has httte contact with {I e, is segregated from} them Moreover, persons m Kenltworth may rarel.y interact with persons m the Inner city Fmal.ty, at a macro {so- oeta[} [eve[, there is a hstory of subjugatton between their groups, and Nlco[e’s group has demonstrabl.e minority group strength
conflict–with macto meaning “larger than,” exo meaning “external or outside,” meso
meaning “middle or intermediate,” and mzcto meaning “locahzed or small.” Similar to Klm’s model, the macro-level primary orientation factors are the larger
sociocuhural factors, histories, worldvlews, beliefs, and values held by each individual. Macro-level variables may be outside the individual’s control but nevertheless affect his or hel approach to conflict Some macro-level variables might include the effects of globahzauon (i.e., the compression of cultural boundaries) on an individual. Exo factols include the formal instituuons present in..anyÿcultq.ÿeLÿnc[udmg religious iÿsÿtÿtutigns, governments, and health care systems, among others that are externaFto the individual but affect his or her approach7 Mes0qevel factors refer to the mole Immediate dimensions
Real.[y9 I thought I was doing fine
Weft, your manager says you are informal, wRh customers 1 think that reaves a bad Impression {Thinks to himself, “1 guess that’s not taught In commumcatlon classes “}
Really9 I think they hke It I think it’s at[ right to be a httl.e retaxed once m a whll.e
Weft., maybe el.sewhere, but not here
Have any of my customers compl.amed9
Not directly, no
So then, what’s the problem9 (Thinks to hersel.f, “What’s his probtem9 He thinks he’s pretty specIat He needs a cl.ass In commumcatlon “}
Look, Nicol.e, I’m not going to argue with you I’m te[hng you to Improve your attitude and stop being so reformat with the customers
Whatever you say, Mr Fablon
"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"