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Kevin has edited encyclopedias, taught middle and high school history, and has a master's degree in Islamic law.
At some level, we are all familiar with differences in cultures. Even children know that East Asian cultures bow while Western cultures shake hands, and whole classes exist for people looking to perfect their cultural knowledge of a society in which they do business. However, much of the material in those classes focuses on general social niceties. We would learn not to gesture with our left hand in the Middle Eastern societies nor to touch someone's head while visiting Southeast Asia.
However, despite our best efforts to the contrary, sometimes conflicts that cross cultural boundaries still manifest themselves. In these cases, it's very beneficial for us to not only know the behavior of the culture we are visiting but also the behaviors of our own culture. With this knowledge, we can work to make sure that our own behavior does not unintentionally cross any cultural lines.
First, let's start with body language. Some cultures typically use very little movement of the hands and arms when talking, as any movement beyond the mundane would be interpreted as having lost control of one's own behavior. Meanwhile, some societies completely embrace movement of the hands while speaking as an indication that one is giving full attention to the matter at hand. Think about it like this - if you were in a reserved society where people didn't move their hands and arms when talking, people may think someone is crazy if they're throwing their arms every which way while talking. Likewise, if you're in a society where such behavior is the norm, someone remaining calm could be viewed as not appreciating just how important the situation is.
Other secondary body language cues also link to this. If someone is visibly upset, it could mean different things in different societies. The same look that in the United States suggests that someone should contact the manager could, in more reserved societies, work to convince someone to consider contacting the authorities.
Still, it is very much the words that we speak that have meaning. Sometimes people from different cultures have different ways of acknowledging a disagreement. Let's say you were having a problem at a hotel. In the United States, you would expect for someone to apologize profusely, offer to refund part of your stay, and promise to have someone inspect the problem right away. Someone traveling from another part of the world could very well think that the hotel was trying to cover something up in that case! That is because in many parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia, hotel staff would, instead, try to minimize the issue at hand.
The prevailing idea there is that the difficulty is temporary, and as a result, not worth the time of the guest. Of course, it will be dealt with, but the staff instead seeks to push the idea out of the person's mind. As you can imagine, this has at times led to friction with Westerners who expect something to be fixed and apologies to be made!
At its core, we see a real difference in conflict resolution approaches at a cultural level. In many societies, including the West, there is a perceived right and wrong. Think about it - our whole legal system is designed to pin blame on someone and punish them. A lawsuit between two neighbors can drag on for years, ruining a friendship, largely because neither side wants to admit that it could be wrong. At the end of it, the problem is largely solved. However, there are cases of the treatment being worse than the problem!
On the other hand, other societies take a more reconciliatory approach. This is especially true in many indigenous societies in Africa. Rather than find the party at fault, the two sides work to instead find the issue at fault. Both sides speak as to how to fix the issue at hand, and then go on as if the issue had not happened. As you can imagine, this does have the tendency for some level of abuse by some members of society. However, think about how foreign it must seem to people in those groups that we would allow misunderstandings to drag on for so long.
In this lesson, we looked at how cultural differences factor into conflict resolution. We saw that cultural differences goes far deeper than good manners and, instead, informs a great deal about how to handle conflict. Some cultures appreciate the approach of focusing largely on the problem and allow the relationship to happen, while others work to focus on the relationship and smooth out the problem behind the scenes so that both sides may remain equal.
When it comes to conflict, each culture can handle the same issue rather differently. As to body language and vocal cues, some cultures may or may not use hand gestures. Some cultures might apologize profusely for an issue while others may try to brush it off and minimize it. Regarding blame, some cultures like to blame others, while others would, together, address problems and find resolution.
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Examine the ways in which different cultures handle conflict in order to subsequently:
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Communications 102: Interpersonal Communication16 chapters | 124 lessons | 12 flashcard sets
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