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Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution in Teams

游客2024-06-05  6
问题                                 Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution in Teams
    Team members work in increasingly diverse environments: in terms of age, gender, language, and nationality. Beyond these differeces, there are also deeper cultural differeces the way conflict is approached.
    The use of teams represents and important change in the way we work. The theory is that through the interdependency of the parts greater prodctiviry is achieved by the whole. Experience has been less kind. One reason that teams fail to meet performance expectations is their paralysis through unresolved conflict.
    Teams Dynamics
    Over time successful teams develop culturally distinct pathways to communicate, Problem solving, make decisions, and resolve conflict. Most literature on teams suggests that they realize high performance levels by passing through four distinct development phases: ’forming’ ’storming’, ’norming’ and ’performing’.
    The development of team norms does not take place in a vacuum, but is embedded in the wider social, political and economic context of the day. Another reality is that team members to not have access to the same power. Sources of power differ, as do expectations about how and when it will be used. It is suggested that a successful team will:
    be comfotable dealing with conflict
be committed to resolving disputes close to the source
    resolve disputes based on interests before fights and puwer
    learn from experience with conflicts.
    This ties in with research on the effects of interpersonal conflict in teams. A team member’s commitment to team and the team mission decreases if conflict goes unresolved, but can increase if conflict is well-managed and resolved. If unhealthy conflict goes unresolved for too long, team members are likely to quit or to search for alternatives.
    Defining Culture
    Social anthropology, as the academic field responsible for the study of culture, has yet to settle on a difinition of culture. However, for our practical purposes, culture is defined as the shared set of valued, beliefs, norms, attitudes, behaviors, and social structures that define reality and guide everyday interactions.
    This definition implies that culture is an attribute of a group, and also contemplates the fact that there many be as much variation within the group as between diferent groups. We often associate culture with a national group, however, culture includes ethnic groups, clans, tribes and organizations. Teams within organizations also have beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that constitute unique cultures.
    Although there are many similarities between cultures, it is important not to minimize real differences that to exist.
    A useful tool for considering the cultures of different groups in the bell curve. The majority of a group culture will confirm to a dominant set of beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, but there will be members of the cultural group that differ in significant ways from the norm.
    Individualistic and Collectivist Dimensions of a Culture
    An important dimension of culture is the extent to which members identify with the group (in this case the team) rather that themselves as individuals. Individualistic cultures place a high value on "autonomy, Initiative, creativity, and authoriy in decision making." Individual interests trump group interests, and any group commitment is a function of a perceived self-benefit. Collectivist cultures, on the other hand, value the group above the individual. Group conformity and commitment is maintained at the expense of personal interests. Harmony, getting along and maintaining ’face’ are seen as crucial.
    The dominant culture in the USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand is individualistic, while collectivism predominates the rest of the world. However examples of both are found everywhere. In California where the recent census found that 32% of the population is Hispanic, 70% are African American and 10% are of Asian descent, it can safely be assumed that a relatively high percentage of the workforce comes from a social environment that is collectivist.
    Comfort with Conflict
    Individualists and collectivists view conflict conflict differently. Collectivists, who place a high value on harmony, getting along and ’face’ see conflict as a sign of social failure. As a result, comfort levels with conflict situations, especially of an interpersonal nature are low. Conflict is often avoided.
    While many individualists also feel discomfort with conflict, it is acknowledged as an inevitable part of life that must be dealt with. However, being in conflict another is not necessarily something to be ashaned about.
    Negotiation Style
    Negotiation is a means to satisfy needs. It can be broken bown into one of two approaches— positional and interest based. Positional negotiation involves haggling over extreme positions without a clear understanding of underlying interests. By contrast, and interest based approach focuses on the needs and concerns of the disputants. An interest based approach is widely used by conflict resolution practitioners, especially in western cultures. It has been popularized through books such as "Getting to Yes" but the extent of its internalization is limited.
    Teams should consider their own negotiation styles and make an explicit decision as to whether they will use an an interest based or positional negotiation approach.
    During negotiations, cultures that prefer a direct communication style will seek direct, face-to- face communication rather than indirect shuttle diplomacy. There are other cultural factors that have a bearing on the way a team will approach conflict prevention and resolution. These include:
    our relationship to time
    our relationship to rules
    our relationship to venue
    Given that teams are comprised of diverse individuals with unique cultural backgrounds, what lessons can we distill for the successful prevention and resolution of conflict?
    1. Know Yourself and Your Own Colture
    Starting with yourself, examine your own beliefs, values, biases, and prejudices. How do you behave? what are your hot buttons? Locate your indvidual culture in the context of your family, regional, and national cultures. What is the social, political and economic context of the day? Being aware of our own cultures helps us to be open to different ideas.  We are able to compare and contrast different approaches without being threatenes.
    2. Learn others’ expectations
    We should expect different expectations. The only way will know what our team members expect is to have an explicit conversation about the nature of conflict and how we prefer to deal with it when it arises. This should lead to a more general conversation that addresses how the team wants to work together. The sooner this happens the better. We can also read books and watch movies to undertand others’ culture. Learning about a new culture takes time. Some liken culture to an iceberg where over nine tenths is out of sight. So it is with culture. There is the surface culture, and then there is that which is hidden-deep culture.
    3. Check Yout Assumptions
    As we filter incoming information through our senses it is natural to make assumptions. We should develop acceptable communication protocols to check out the basis of our perceptions. Failure to do se leads to inaccurate stereotypes and may foster negative feelings of hostility. One approach is to give specific feedback on the behavior you observed and to seek clarification of your interpretations. Be open to various interpretations. Your first interpretation is not necessarily correct. Another variation is to give feedback on how you felt when the specified behavior occurred. It sometimes helps to list all the possible interpretations you have thought of almost as if brainstorming.
    4. Consider the platinum Rule
    The platinum rule encourages us to treat our team members as they would like to be treated rather than they way we like to be treated (the golden rule). It is similar to the difference between sympathy and empathy. Empathy is not about "walking a mile in his moccasis" but imagining "how he feels walking in his moccasins." Problems with the platinum rule arise when your way and the others’ way clash. [br] Compared with the ______ culture, the surface culture is only a small part of culture.
选项
答案 hidden-deep
解析
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