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.

A. Y
B. N
C. NG