The Manager's Pocket Guide to Diversity Management

Dealing with Cross-Cultural Conflict

No matter how effective you are at communicating, when working in a diverse work team, conflicts will arise. Some conflict is healthy and promotes growth, learning, and understanding. The key is how you handle the conflict situation. Creative sparks can fly whenever diverse ideas and perspectives “rub against one another.” Many of us have been trained through our cultural programming to avoid at all costs the unpleasantness of conflict. One of the keys to forming a diverse, high-performing team will be your ability to teach both managers and team members how to view conflict in a positive light and use it constructively, that is seize “a teachable moment.” Some of the potential benefits of productive conflict ...