Conflict: Theory & Practice - Essay Example

In conflicts, there exist movers and opposition that counters in a situation of interaction. The behavior patterns in conflicts tend to take a repetitive trend. Culture and climate are vital determinants of conflicts, which have effects on associations and interactions between movers and oppositions. Culture is a notable determinant of perception that people hold on a number of areas in life. This results from the orientation that people adopt from their lifestyles, social inheritance and through their ways of living as members of a definite social group.

The effect of culture differences among individuals and groups also prevails because of misunderstanding and miscommunication that result from cultural orientations (Jain, 2005). Such instances of intellectual differences because of diverse cultures aggravate situations that involve conflict. Culture, therefore, dictates the manner in which individuals hold negotiable interest in matters that may cause conflict and miscommunication. Besides dictating the course of interpretation of contexts of conflicts by the parties involved, culture associates individuals and identities with collective social groups.

Understanding the dynamics of culture in determining tie that individuals have while interacting and identifying with social groups helps to appreciate the causes most conflicts that occur in the workplace. Culture is a vital determinant of communicational processes that occur in the workplace. Managers and officials in the workplace need to adopt amicable ways of solving conflicts that result from the communication related to cultural differences (Collins & O'Rourke, 2008). It is noteworthy that culture also affects communicational techniques that are vital in resolving conflicts experienced in the workplace.

The conflict interaction scenario in the case (provided in the appendix) involves conflict between board members, caused by different cultural affiliations based on religion. There are diverse theories that can explain the sources of conflicts. Brew and Cairns (2004) highlights the face theory, for instance. The social identity theory best outlines the underlying conflict theory to analyze the conflict interaction scenario. The theory best explains the underlying principles behind instances of intergroup discrimination.

One group with a unique and common affiliation tends to segregate another out-group and show favor for its in-group members (Tajfel, 2010). The theory assumes that consideration made has its basis not as self but as an affiliation based on membership to collectivism. An individual can acquire a variety of social identities based on different categorization including religion, age or status. The self-categorization initiates favoritism towards in-group members that compromises on out-group members.

In-group members initiate positivity towards the cultures embraced by their colleagues (Brewer & Hewstone, 2004). The social categorization initiates a social identity conflict in the workplace. Since the workplace consists of a variety of compositions including gender, ethnic, religion and other facets, social categorization is a common occurrence. Members of an in-group tend to improve their self-image by enhancing the status of the group to which they belong. The discrimination from the prejudice emanates from a number of factors and cultural differences.

The stereotyping results from the tendency of groups to assemble to