---

Guest post by: Philip A. Foster Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

Understanding the nature of conflict is important to its management. Gudykunst and Kim (2003) argue conflicts are inevitable and understanding the nature of conflict is critical to developing and maintaining lasting relationships (p 296). Literature reveals several sources of conflict. First, they occur when people misinterpret behaviors (Gudykunst and Kim, 2003, p 296). Research has established that we view our surroundings through our own cultural lenses and filters (Foster, 2012). Second, conflict arises from perceptions of incompatibility, such as personalities or group characteristics (Gundykunst and Kim, 2003, p 296). When there appears an affront to one’s culture, members of that culture will defend it in what Sire called cultural relativism or the need to preserve the culture from threat of change (Foster, 2012). Gundykunst and Kim (2003) argue culture influences the ways we think about conflicts and our preferences for managing then (p 297). They posit that conflict arises from either instrumental or expressive sources (Gundykunst and Kim, 2003, p 297). Expressive conflicts arise from a desire to release tension, usually generated from hostile feelings and Instrumental conflicts stem from a difference in goals or practices. Finally, conflict arises when people disagree on the cause of their own or other people’s behavior (Gundykunst and Kim, 2003, p 296). All incidents of conflict have the same thing in common: polarized communication. Polarized Communication occurs when the communicators have the “inability to believe or seriously consider one’s view as wrong and the other’s opinion as truth (Gundykunst and Kim, 2003, p 295). Understanding culture and its values aids the communicator in dealing with conflict resolution (Foster, 2012). Dealing with cross-cultural conflict implies that one must deal with certain preferences for conflict styles based on cultural individualism-collectivism and power distance (Gundykunst and Kim, 2003, p 303).

References:

Gundykunst, William B., and Kim, Young Yun (2003). Communicating with Strangers – 4^th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Foster, Philip (2012). Retrieved from his posting: Blackboard Dialogues for Doctorate in Strategic Leadership, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA.

Related Articles

  To Fig Leaf or Not To Fig Leaf; That is The Question
  Dealing WIth Your Spouse And Your Business
  Conflict Resolution
  Coping With The Stresses Of Owning Your Business
  Working Around Channel Conflict
  Coping With The Anxieties Of Managing A Business
  When Your Manager Gives You A Difficult Time
  Management Skills
  When Your Manager Gives You A Difficult Time At Your Job
  When Your Boss Stresses You Out
  When You Do Not Like Your Boss
  Dealing With A Difficult Manager At Your Job
  When You Do Not Get A Long With Management
  Tips On How To Deal With A Difficult Manager
  When Your Supervisor Gives You A Hard Time
  When Working For Your Manager Becomes Difficult
  When Your Manager Gets On Your Case
  How To Cope With A Difficult Boss
  How To Deal With A Difficult Leader
  When You Do Not Like Your Manager

Related Forum Posts

Re: HRPreneur
Re: Hello from Bangladesh
Re: HRPreneur
Why should I hire a virtual assistant for SEO purposes?
Different Hats

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Affirming Others Builds Trust and Motivation

Build Corporate Credit for Your Small Business

How to Manage Overwhelm & Massive Life Change

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.