Hennepin Technical College Intercultural Conflict Styles

Summary

In this insightful presentation, Jonathan Stewart from Hennepin Technical College introduces Dr. Mitch Hammer's intercultural conflict style model. Stewart explains four distinct styles of conflict resolution based on directness and emotional expression: Discussion, Engagement, Accommodation, and Dynamic. He emphasizes understanding these styles to navigate cultural differences in conflict effectively, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and encouraging the adoption of alternative methods to suit different situations.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker, Jonathan Stewart, is an instructor at Hennepin Technical College focusing on language, culture, conflict, and cultural topics.
• 🌐 He introduces a model of intercultural conflict resolution based on Dr. Mitch Hammer's work, which is used for customized training services.
• 🔍 The model helps individuals understand their own and others' conflict resolution styles without taking things personally.
• 📊 The model is structured around four quadrants, differentiated by directness and emotional expression during conflict.
• 🗣️ 'Discussion style' individuals are direct and logical but keep emotions in check, focusing on problem-solving rather than personal issues.
• 🔥 'Engagement style' people are direct and express emotions as part of the conflict resolution process, valuing emotional honesty.
• 🤝 'Accommodation style' individuals are indirect and keep emotions to themselves, aiming for harmony and avoiding direct confrontation.
• 🎭 'Dynamic style' individuals are indirect and express emotions through stories or examples, often preferring third-party mediation.
• 🌟 Each style has strengths and weaknesses, and understanding them can help in adapting one's approach to conflict resolution.
• 🌍 Stewart encourages considering culture in the broadest sense, including worldviews, personalities, and personal backgrounds.
• 💡 The model serves as a tool for self-reflection and understanding others in conflict situations, promoting effective intercultural communication.

Q & A

Who is Jonathan Stewart and what does he do?

Jonathan Stewart is an instructor at Hennepin Technical College, focusing on language and culture, conflict, and cultural topics for customized training services.

What is the purpose of the model that Jonathan Stewart wants to share?

The purpose of the model is to provide a framework for understanding and resolving intercultural conflicts by analyzing personal conflict styles and applying them to specific situations.

Who is Dr. Mitch Hammer and what is his contribution to the model?

Dr. Mitch Hammer is a professional who works in hostage negotiation and large-scale mediation around the world. He developed the intercultural conflict style model that Jonathan Stewart wants to share.

What are the two main axes that define the intercultural conflict style model?

The two main axes are how individuals express disagreement (direct or indirect) and how they express their emotions (retained or expressed).

What are the four intercultural conflict styles identified in the model?

The four styles are the Discussion style, the Engagement style, the Accommodation style, and the Dynamic style, each characterized by different ways of expressing disagreement and emotions.

What is the Discussion style and how do individuals with this style approach conflict?

The Discussion style involves being direct in addressing the problem while keeping emotions in check. Individuals with this style believe resolution comes from the clash of emerging ideas.

How does the Engagement style differ from the Discussion style?

The Engagement style is also direct in addressing the problem, but unlike the Discussion style, individuals express their emotions openly as part of the conflict resolution process.

What is the Accommodation style and how is it typically misunderstood?

The Accommodation style is indirect in communication and retains emotions. It is often misunderstood as passivity, but it actually seeks harmony and avoids attaching the problem to the person.

What is the Dynamic style and how do individuals with this style resolve conflicts?

The Dynamic style is characterized by being indirect in communication and expressive with emotions. Resolution often comes in the form of a story or example, and individuals may prefer third-party mediation or alternative resolution methods.

How can understanding these conflict styles help in dealing with different people in conflict situations?

Understanding these styles allows individuals to recognize their own and others' conflict resolution methods, enabling them to adapt their approach, appreciate different perspectives, and find more effective ways to manage conflicts.

What does Jonathan Stewart suggest when thinking about conflict and culture?

Jonathan Stewart suggests thinking of culture in the broadest sense, including worldviews, personalities, and other factors, as everyone is a cultural composite, and this model can help navigate conflict situations.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Intercultural Conflict Resolution Model

Jonathan Stewart introduces an intercultural conflict resolution model based on Dr. Mitch Hammer's work, which is used at Hennepin Technical College for customized training services. The model helps individuals understand their own and others' conflict styles by examining how disagreement and emotions are expressed. Stewart explains the four quadrants of the model: the Discussion style, which is direct and logical but keeps emotions in check; the Engagement style, which is direct and emotionally expressive; the Accommodation style, which is indirect and emotion-contained, seeking harmony; and the Dynamic style, which is indirect and emotionally expressive, often resolving conflict through storytelling. The model encourages recognizing the strengths and weaknesses in each style and applying this understanding to improve conflict resolution in various cultural contexts.

05:04

🌈 Understanding Conflict Styles and Cultural Perspectives

The second paragraph delves deeper into the nuances of each conflict style, emphasizing that they can be viewed positively or negatively depending on the situation. It discusses the potential negative perception of the Discussion style as unfeeling and the Accommodation style as passive-aggressive, while also highlighting their strengths. The paragraph underscores the importance of considering culture in a broad sense, including worldviews and personality influences, and how these factors contribute to an individual's approach to conflict. Stewart encourages embracing the model as a tool for understanding and adapting to different conflict resolution strategies, recognizing that cultural composites shape our responses to conflict.

Keywords

💡Intercultural Conflict Resolution

Intercultural conflict resolution refers to the process of managing disagreements between individuals or groups from different cultural backgrounds. In the video, this concept is central as the speaker introduces a model for understanding and addressing conflicts that arise from cultural differences. The model helps to identify personal conflict styles and suggests ways to navigate disputes more effectively.

💡Cultural Composites

Cultural composites is a term used to describe the unique blend of cultural influences that shape an individual's worldview and behavior. The speaker emphasizes that everyone is a cultural composite, suggesting that cultural identity is not solely determined by ethnicity or nationality but also by personal experiences and personality traits. This concept is important in understanding how individuals approach conflict resolution.

💡Direct Communication

Direct communication is a style where individuals express their thoughts and disagreements openly and straightforwardly. In the context of the video, direct communication is one end of the spectrum on the vertical axis of the intercultural conflict style model, indicating how people express disagreement. The speaker contrasts this with indirect communication, highlighting the importance of recognizing different communication preferences in conflict resolution.

💡Indirect Communication

Indirect communication is a style where individuals convey their messages subtly, often using hints or non-verbal cues rather than speaking directly. The video script discusses this as the opposite of direct communication on the vertical axis, suggesting that some individuals may prefer to address conflict in a less overt manner, which can be influenced by cultural norms or personal disposition.

💡Emotional Expression

Emotional expression refers to how individuals convey their feelings, particularly in the context of conflict. The video script uses the horizontal axis to differentiate between those who express their emotions openly and those who retain them. Understanding emotional expression is crucial for effective intercultural communication and conflict resolution, as it influences how individuals perceive and respond to disagreements.

💡Discussion Style

The discussion style is one of the four intercultural conflict styles identified in the video. Individuals with this style are direct in expressing disagreement and keep their emotions in check, focusing on the problem rather than the person. The speaker provides the example of this style being common in the United States and associates it with the quote 'Say what you mean and mean what you say.'

💡Engagement Style

The engagement style is characterized by individuals who are direct in expressing disagreement and also express their emotions openly. The video script describes this style as one where resolution comes from the engagement of emotions on both sides, suggesting that individuals with this style may raise their voices or use hand gestures to convey their feelings during conflict.

💡Accommodation Style

The accommodation style is represented by individuals who are indirect in their communication and also keep their emotions in check. Contrary to the misconception of being a 'wet noodle,' the speaker clarifies that this style seeks resolution through harmony and may involve indirect hints or reasons for dissatisfaction. The video uses the quote 'The first person to raise their voice in an argument loses' to illustrate this style.

💡Dynamic Style

The dynamic style is characterized by individuals who are both expressive and indirect, often using stories or idioms to convey their emotions and disagreements. The video script suggests that resolution for individuals with this style may come through third-party mediation or alternative resolution methods. The Arab quote 'It's better to know the truth but to speak of palm trees' is used to exemplify the indirect yet expressive nature of this style.

💡Personalized Assessment

A personalized assessment, as mentioned in the video, is a tool that allows individuals to identify their own intercultural conflict style. The speaker mentions that Hennepin Technical College can provide such assessments based on Dr. Mitch Hammer's work, helping individuals understand their tendencies in conflict resolution and how they might adapt or respond to others' styles.

💡Hostage Negotiation

Hostage negotiation is a specialized form of conflict resolution that involves high-stakes situations where individuals are held captive. The video script mentions Dr. Mitch Hammer's expertise in hostage negotiation, indicating that the principles of conflict resolution can be applied in various contexts, including those requiring immediate and sensitive handling.

Highlights

Jonathan Stewart introduces an intercultural conflict resolution model based on the work of Dr. Mitch Hammer.

The model is used for customized training services at Hennepin Technical College.

The model helps individuals understand their intercultural conflict style through a personalized assessment.

Dr. Hammer's expertise includes hostage negotiation and large-scale mediation.

The intercultural conflict style model consists of four quadrants based on directness and emotional expression.

Directness in expressing disagreement is represented on the vertical axis.

Emotional expression during conflict is represented on the horizontal axis.

The Discussion style is characterized by direct problem-solving and emotional restraint.

The Engagement style involves direct communication and emotional expression.

The Accommodation style is indirect in communication and retains emotions.

The Dynamic style is indirect in communication but expressive with emotions.

Each style has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding them can improve conflict resolution.

The model encourages viewing culture in the broadest sense, including as a worldview.

Cultural composites are formed by various factors including personality.

The model provides a framework for adapting to different conflict resolution approaches.

Understanding different intercultural styles can help in managing emotions during conflict.

The model suggests that it's acceptable for individuals to adopt different styles based on the situation.

Quotes are used to illustrate the essence of each conflict style.

Transcripts

either I'm Jonathan Stewart an

instructor at Hennepin Technical College

I do a lot of language and culture

conflict and cultural type topics for

customized training services I want to

share with you a model of intercultural

conflict resolution and have you think

about or applied to your specific

situation this model is based on the

work of dr. Mitch hammer and we at

Hennepin tech to be able to deliver his

training and actually to give a

personalized assessment that will allow

you to choose or figure out what your

intercultural conflict style might be

dr. hammer does all kinds of hostage

negotiation and kind of large-scale

mediation around the world and he's

developed this model that I'd like to

share with you the intercultural

conflict style model is really neat I

think because it allows us to look at

ourselves but also to understand others

to see that we don't have to take things

personally based on how they do

problem-solving or how they do conflict

resolution you can see there's four

quadrants here and vertical and

horizontal axis conflict comes from not

only our differences that might be

perceived or actual but it also comes

from our emotions and so first of all

how we express disagreement at the top

here running along this this vertical

axis are you a very direct person when

disagreement happens do you speak

directly to the problem you know or is

it more indirect giving subtle hints or

or not trying to you know shame the

person by bringing it up front beating

around the bush a little bit direct or

indirect how people express disagreement

and all of us kind of run across this

spectrum and then on the bottom on the

horizontal axis how we express our our

emotions do we retain them and keep them

in is it better for us to keep a cap on

our emotions we don't let them out or do

we express it our emotions come with

the message and we're able to use our

emotions when we're talking about

conflict based on kind of these

horizontal and vertical accesses there

are four kind of intercultural conflict

styles that we can look at the first one

in the top right corner is the

discussion style person the person who

has this style would say resolution

comes with the clash of emerging ideas

you can see they're very direct they're

able to logically lay out the problem

and speak specifically to it but in

terms of pressing their emotions they

were going to keep those in it's about

the problem not about the person and

they try to separate those two so

they're gonna keep their emotions in

check there's a great quote you know

that we all know say what you mean and

mean what you say that's kind of a

discussion style quote and this is just

one style but one that's pretty common

here in the United States moving across

the engagement style conflict style

would be someone who you can see very

direct but this time they're using their

emotions they're expressing their

emotions their emotions are coming with

the message resolution for them comes

when we can engage our emotions both

sided in receiving and giving that might

mean my tone of voice goes up I use more

hand gestures and there are you know you

can think of people you know that

probably when they are motions start

happening they let them out and they're

also able to speak directly an

engagement person a good quote I think

it's an Irish quote it says what's

nearest the heart is nearest the mouth

and for a person like this they're not

gonna want to calm down you're gonna

have to meet their emotions you're gonna

have to match their emotional level and

then maybe lead them if you want them to

try to calm down but emotions are

important for them as they're speaking

directly they want to engage fully in

the bottom-right corner here is the

accommodation style

often times they think of accommodation

as the wet noodle going along with

whatever someone says but this isn't the

way this term is used here it's someone

who is indirect in their communication

but also keeping their emotions in it

can be a very hard difficult person to

read but this person resolution is

coming for them with the harmony of

things so they're not going to want to

bring the problem and attach it to the

person maybe they're from a from a

culture or a context that face and shame

is very important to keep so here's a

great quote the first person to raise

their voice the quote goes the first

person to raise their voice in an

argument loses and when you're engaging

in something they're gonna be more

indirect and we can look at it you know

in a negative way you could call this

person passive-aggressive but it's a

it's could be a just a style that

they're using and they're they're trying

to give the hint or the reason why

they're upset in an indirect way it

takes being able to kind of creatively

understand what's going on the final

quadrant is the dynamic quadrant someone

who's expressive while at the same time

being indirect in in explaining what the

disagreements about or their their

experience with it resolution here often

comes with in the form of a story they

might use an idiom or an example to give

indirectly why they're bringing their

emotions there's an Arab quote that says

it's better to know the truth but to

speak of palm trees and you can start to

see a dynamic person might be more

comfortable having a third party come in

to mediate a situation or to look at

alternative ways to resolve it in each

of these different intercultural styles

there's some part that you can see

positively in some part that you can see

negatively now for example a discussion

person well they're logical but maybe

someone says they're unfeeling or

uncaring but each of them have strengths

and weaknesses and learning about them

in terms of yourself and others

allows you to try on a different way of

dealing with a situation or a person to

understand that it's okay if someone's

gonna use their emotions even if I'm a

discussion person and might not be

comfortable with that when we think of

conflict and culture I tend to encourage

people to think of culture in the

broadest sense of the word even as a as

a worldview you can have someone who

looks the same as you and has a lot of

the same background but they're how

they've been formed that takes into

consideration personality and many other

things we're all cultural composites in

some way and this model is just another

way to think about what to do how to use

that in a conflict situation