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The Intercultural Conflict Style

Inventory: A conceptual framework


and measure of intercultural conflict
resolution approaches
Mitchell R. Hammer

Eye Ritthirat and Kathleen Hamel

Introduction
Conflict is an essential feature of human interaction. It is
present in social situations that range from stranger-tostranger to interpersonal relationships to intergroup
settings.

Conflict Dynamic
Substantive disagreements
disagreements, differences of opinions, divergent
interpretations, struggles for control, and multiple
perspectives (Geist, 1995)

Emotional reaction

Intercultural Conflict Style


..specific culture groups preferred manner for
communicating with the other party around substantive
disagreements and feelings toward one another.
Report Function: substantive disagreements
Command Function: emotional response

A Model of Intercultural Conflict Style


Individualism VS. Collectivism
Individualism
- straight talk
- direct and solution communication styles
Collectivism
- contemplative talk
- avoidance approaches

A Model of Intercultural Conflict Style


High And Low Context Communication Patterns
High context culture
- indirect communication approaches
Low context culture
- direct verbal strategies

A Model of Intercultural Conflict Style


Emotionally expressive VS. Emotionally restrained
Emotionally expressive
- value affective engagement and involvement in communicating with
others
- demonstrate feelings through: laughing, gesturing, body posture, facial
expressions

Emotionally restrained
- hide/mask overt emotional expression

Hammers Study
- 106 items were developed to test:
- 54 items- direct/indirect strategies
- 52 items- emotionally expressive/emotionally
restrained

- In order to test the approaches in which


conflicts are resolved
- 510 people were given questionnaire

Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory

A model of ICS
- Four basic,
cross-cultural
conflict
resolution
styles

Discussion Style
- When disagreements occur:
- emphasizes a verbally direct approach
- emotionally restrained manner

- Overall, when confronting another:


- objective facts
- both parties should be wary of injecting personal
feelings

Engagement Style
- When disagreements occur:
- emphasizes a verbally direct approach
- emotionally expressive manner

- Overall, when confronting another:


- both parties work towards a positive resolution
with emotion and verbal intensity

Accommodation Style
- When disagreements occur:
- emphasizes a verbally indirect approach
- emotionally restrained manner

- Overall, when confronting another:


- indirect speech --- emphasise of ambiguity
- minimizing the level of conflict present

Dynamic Style
- When disagreements occur:
- emphasizes a verbally indirect approach
- emotionally expressive manner

- Overall, when confronting another:


- use of exaggerated language often coupled with
repetition

Applications of the ICSI


Recognizing these various styles and then developing more
inclusive conflict resolution systems and approaches is
facilitated through the use of the four quadrant ICS model...and
the ICSI (p. 692).

- Improve organizations abilities to value and


integrate diversity
- Family dispute resolution efforts

Questions
- Do you belong more towards a certain style of conflict
resolution (ie. discussion, engagement, accommodation or
dynamic)? Do you think that has something to do with your
cultural upbringing?
- When interacting with another type of conflict style, does it
typically make you aggravated or annoyed? Can you think of
a specific example? Did you have to accommodate for the
other persons style?
- In the context of a classroom, do you think using the ICS 4dimensional model would be beneficial? Why or why not?

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