Characteristics of Intercultural Conflict

Conflict is usually defined as involving a perceived or real incompatibility of goals, values, expectations, or outcomes between two or more interdependent individuals or groups. An example of intercultural conflict can be seen between people sorting or assembly plants along the Mexican – U.S. border. Because Mexicans and U.S. Americans work alongside one another, intercultural conflict inevitably occurs. For example, some Mexican managers think that the U.S. American managers are rude in their dealings with each other and with the workers. While both Mexican and U.S. American managers have common goals, they also have some different expectations and values, which leads to conflict. The Mexican managers expect the U.S. American managers to be more polite and to value harmony in their relationships. The U.S. American managers expect the Mexicans to be more direct and honest and not to worry so much about the “face” and feelings of other managers and workers. These conflicts have roots in the history of U.S. - Mexican relations, a history characterized by economic and military domination on the part of the United States and by hostility and resentment on the part of Mexico.

There is often a great deal of ambiguity in intercultural conflicts. We may be unsure of how to handle the conflict or of whether the conflict is seen in the same way by the other person. And the other person may not even think there is a conflict. However when we encounter ambiguity, we quickly resort to our default style of handling conflict – the style we learned in our family. If your preferred way of handling conflict is to deal with it immediately but you are in a conflict with someone who prefers to avoid it, the conflict may become exacerbated as you both retreat to your preferred styles. Thus, the confronting person becomes increasingly confrontational, while the avoider retreats further.

Language issues may be important ones. Language can sometimes lead to intercultural conflict, and it can also be the primary vehicle for solving intercultural conflict. When you don’t know the language well, it is very difficult to handle conflict effectively. At the same time some silence is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it provides a “cooling off” period during which the participants can calm down and gather their thoughts.

Types of Conflict

Common categories of conflict include:

1. affective conflict;

2. conflict of interest;

3. value conflict;

4. cognitive conflict;

5. goal conflict.

Affective conflict occurs when individuals become more aware that their feelings and emotions are incompatible. For example, suppose someone finds out that his or her romantic feelings for a close friend are not reciprocated. Their different levels of affection may lead to conflict.

A conflict of interest describes a situation in which people have incompatible preferences for a course of action or plan to pursue. For example, one student of described an ongoing conflict with an ex-girlfriend: “The conflicts always seem to be a jealousy issue or a controlling issue, where even though we are not going out anymore, both of us still try to control the other’s life to some degree. You could probably say that this is a conflict of interest”.

Value conflict, a more serious type, occurs when people have differing ideologies. For example, suppose that Ruben and Laura have been married for several months and are starting to argue frequently about their views on when to start their family and how to raise their children. Laura believes strongly that one parent should stay at home with the children when they are small, so she would like to wait until they have saved enough money and she can stop working for a few years. Ruben wants to have children immediately but does not want Laura to stop working; he thinks their children will do fine in day care. This situation illustrates value conflict.

Cognitive conflict describes a situation in which two or more people become aware that their thought processes or perceptions are in conflict. For example, suppose that Ruben and Laura argue frequently about whether Laura’s friend Bob is paying too much attention to her. Ruben suspects that Bob wants to have sex with Laura, but Laura doesn’t agree. Their different perceptions of the situation constitute cognitive conflict.

Goal conflict occurs when people disagree about a preferred outcome or end state. For example, suppose that Marissa and Derek, who have been in a relationship for 10 years, have just bought a house. Derek wants to furnish the house slowly, making sure that money goes into the savings account for retirement. Marissa wants to furnish the house immediately, using money from their savings. Marissa’s and Derek’s individual goals are in conflict with each other.