Center for Intercultural Dialogue Key Concepts in Intercultural Dialogue

Conflict Management

Qi Wang Associate Professor of Communication, Villanova University, PA, USA

What is it? types of contexts (e.g., healthcare, higher Conflict management refers to the process of using education, and community) and counselling. preferred strategies to handle a conflict with goals of limiting negative impact and enhancing positive Fit with intercultural dialogue? impact. Conflict refers to attitudinal, behavioural, or resource-related incompatibility perceived by at Conflict management has a natural fit with least one of the interdependent parties in a given intercultural dialogue because cultural differences context. Whereas conflict resolution is focused on make conflict preordained. People are often reducing or eliminating conflict, conflict unaware that such conflict tends to be pseudo- management is focused more on strategic conflict: Perceived incompatibilities often result from implementation for positive outcomes. The most lack of familiarity of the other’s cultural values and influential theory around conflict management is norms rather than discordancy. Open, ethical, and based on the managerial grid developed by two empathetic intercultural dialogue is essential for management theorists, Robert R. Blake and Jane, successful conflict management. S. Mouton. With revisions and additions, the grid is now used to describe five main conflict What work remains? management strategies: integration (a win-win First, future research should incorporate situational strategy that seeks to maximize mutual benefit by contingencies in implementing and evaluating open communication), accommodation (a win-lose effective strategies. Second, different types of strategy by giving up one’s own needs to satisfy the conflict such as task-related and social emotional other’s), domination (a lose-win strategy by conflicts should be distinguished, especially in maximizing one’s own needs without considering workplace contexts. Third, the nature of conflict, the other’s), avoidance (a lose-lose behaviour by management strategies, and impact should be withdrawal), and compromise (a give-and-take considered from both constructive and destructive strategy to meet mutual needs in the middle). perspectives. This way people will consider conflict, an inevitable social interaction phenomenon, with Who uses the concept? less negativity and more problem-solving intention. Conflict management is used in business management, marketing, communication contexts Resources such as in interpersonal (e.g., family, marital, and Blake, R. R., & Mouton, J. S. (1964). The friendship.), organizational (e.g., macro-level, inter- managerial grid: The key to leadership team, and supervisor-subordinate), intercultural excellence. Houston, TX: Gulf. (e.g., host-guest, adaptation, and competence), and Rahim, M. A. (2002). Toward a theory of managing public relations (e.g., multinational companies and organizational conflict. International Journal of local residents). It is also used for training in various Conflict Management, 13, 206-235.

Key Concepts in Intercultural Dialogue, No. 53, 2015 http://centerforinterculturaldialogue.org