Conflict Resolution Styles Case Study

As human beings, we experience conflict in our everyday lives. It is a natural phenomenon of our personal and professional existence, that it becomes an inevitable component of human activity. In today’s ever-changing business environment organizations, conflict resolution styles are seen as culturally defined event. The success and efficiency of channelling conflicts, whether in a positive or negative manner, can affect the nature of it as being beneficial or destructive to us. However, if it is properly managed, it can in fact ‘increase individuals innovativeness and productivity’ (Uline, Tschannen-moran & Perez, 2003) while offering ‘interpersonal relationship satisfaction, creative problem solving, the growth of a global workforce and domestic

So the question is – how then do multicultural organizations influence managers’ conflict resolution styles? For the first approach, Kirkman and Shapiro explained that stigmas among team members or from team behaviours that increases the salience of in-group versus out-group, needs to be eradicated. Inter-group prejudices such as sexism, religious practices and tension from colleagues, may contribute in the form of hypercriticism, overtly devaluing one’s contributions or even socially ostracizing a member. Therefore, a manager needs to be exemplary by understanding an individual’s background better and see where he/she will be able to socially fit in the organizational setting. At the same time, to create team-bonding sessions so that team members know each other better. As for the second approach, in Wu, Yuen and Zhu’s research, they explained a multi-dimensional cognitive aspect of culture and conflict. Their findings revealed that majority of Singaporeans were found to take on an ‘individualism’ role in the adoption of avoiding, integrating and dominating styles in conflict management. Singapore, being a newly industrialized country, is quickly becoming a regional centre where the East meets West. Therefore, such evidences proves that cultural differences in style and underlying values, can be of help to MNCs who must interact as colleagues and resolve conflicts with mangers from other