The Nature of Conflict

The nature of conflict
• A conflict appears when people with differing needs or

goals are prevented – or perceive that they are being
prevented – by others in achieving these needs or goals
• Realistic Group Conflict theory: source of inter-group
conflict is struggle over (limited) structural resources,
not personal characteristics
• Social identity theory: conflict between groups is seen
to be the result of perceived identities
Slide 17.1 Browaeys and Price, Understanding Cross-cultural Management, 1st Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2009
The nature of conflict
• Ting-Toomey (cross-cultural) conflict involves:

• (cultural) groups protecting their own self-image
• intercultural perceptions coloured by ethnocentrism and
stereotypes
• Uses concept of ‘self-construal’- how people perceive
themselves
• Ting-Toomey distinguishes between
• Those with an independent sense of self welcome
communication in the conflict process, if both parties
are open: this may bring tangible, creative solutions
• Those with an interdependent sense of self see
conflict as negative and unproductive: a conflict
process is only satisfactory if the ‘faces’ of both
parties have been saved in addition to a productive
agreement
• Independent self-concepts found more often in
individualistic cultures; interdependent self-concepts
more prevalent in collectivistic cultures
Conflict styles: dual concern models
• Conflict style: ‘patterned responses or clusters of

behavior that people use in conflict’
• Thomas and Kilman model (1974): based on two
factors in a person’s conflict style:
• assertiveness: ‘the extent to which the individual
attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns’
• cooperativeness: ‘the extent to which the individual
attempts to satisfy the other person’s concerns’
Leung, K. et al. (2002) propose the introduction
of harmony into the model: concerns itself with
the relationship between the self and the other
• Harmony: focus on using a conflict-free
relationship to achieve a goal
Culture, emotions and conflict
Kumar distinguishes between:

• ‘Ego-focused’ emotions such as anger, pride and guilt, linked to
the (non-)fulfilment of individual goals
• ‘Other-focused’ emotions such as shame, anxiety and fear,
related to the (in-) ability to show oneself as belonging to the
social context
• In negotiation conflict:
• those with negative ego-focused feelings will put pressure on
their opponents to make concessions
• those experiencing other-focused may adjust their
expectations to get an agreement
Management of conflict
The way conflicts are addressed can vary considerably from

culture to culture. These differences relate to:
• the degree to which disagreement is acceptable and
therefore the extent to which conflict is tolerated
• the strategies to be adopted when dealing with conflicts
• the moment when the manager needs to intervene and
the way he intervenes
Mindfulness
Ting-Toomey (1999) suggests that skills to do with

mindfulness can enhance conflict management:
• mindful reframing
• ‘translate’ (non-) verbal messages from the context of the
other’s cultural viewpoint
• re-set priorities after mindfully observing and listening to
the viewpoints and expectations of their opponents
• collaborative dialogue
• Knowing the cultural and personal elements involved
• Get the others to talk about expectations, face issues
Managing conflict in Malaysia
Core values: durability of personal relations, even if a strong

divergence of opinion results in conflict
• concern for face : across all ethnic groups.
• concern for others: generosity, respect, honesty and
sincerity, being upright and caring.
• respect for seniority: in some conflicts a third person, a
‘neutral senior’ clarifies key issues.
• subordinates will never confront their superior
Managing conflict in Thailand
• The name Thailand – ‘The Land of Smiles’ - reflects the

social harmony in this country. A Thai smiles in pleasant
and stress-filled situations.
• Smile hides feelings in public: self-discipline to maintain
status, prestige and face
• Individualism quite predominant, but Thais are more
‘relationship-oriented’ than ‘results-oriented’
• Conflict is rarely regarded as either positive or negative: if a
conflict arises, a third party (traditionally a respected elder)
is called upon to mediate
Managing conflict in (South) Korea
• Korea, reflects in a way the differences and similarities

between western and eastern attitudes to conflict
• Koreans prefer a non-competitive (or non-dominating)
strategy in face-to-face conflict situation
• Prefer to use a superior or authoritarian personality to
resolve conflict
• Differentiate between in-group and out-group situations:
when dealing with out-groups, strategy is comparable to
Western competitive approach
Mediation and conflict transformation
• In Asia Pacific: the mediator deals with concerns of
group as a whole; legitimacy rests on
• their social status within the group
• their knowledge of traditions, personal
characteristics.
• In West: the mediator’s task is tightly focused:
authority defined more in terms of their expertise and
experience
• The mediator can:
• reframe the content and process issues of both
parties
• transform the whole conflict in terms of the
attitudes and behaviour of those involved
Conflict transformation
• Mediation can be an instrument of transformation

• But third-party intervention is not necessary if the
parties involved are:
• prepared to perceive the conflict process in terms of
their own assumptions
• perceive the process in terms of those with whom
they are in contention
Conclusion
• Conflict style related to

• Concern for self
• Concern for others
• Mediation and/or collaborative dialogue can promote
conflict resolution
• Cultural transformation of personal, social and
structural factors can promote conflict resolution further

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The nature of conflict

• A conflict appears when people with differing needs or

• Ting-Toomey (cross-cultural) conflict involves:

• Conflict style: ‘patterned responses or clusters of

Kumar distinguishes between:

The way conflicts are addressed can vary considerably from

Ting-Toomey (1999) suggests that skills to do with

Core values: durability of personal relations, even if a strong

• The name Thailand – ‘The Land of Smiles’ - reflects the

• Korea, reflects in a way the differences and similarities

• Mediation can be an instrument of transformation

• Conflict style related to

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