Personal Reflection on Chinese Cultural Message About Conflict
Introduction
The Chinese culture is regarded as among the oldest in the world. Its 4,000 years old civilization has established a nation that has the most distinctive features. From the ancient formation of Chinese culture until today, conflicts have largely contributed to the shaping of a country that is regarded today as an emerging global economic superpower. The capability of any Chinese citizen to cope up with emerging conflicts is a skill that was forged by the culture of oppression from Mongolian invasion during the ancient times and the Chinese reformation during the time of Mao Zedong in 1949. Individualism and cultural isolation that lasted for thousands of years, has locked the country from external influences furthering the extent of the prevailing culture as primary influence in conflict resolution. The discussion will focus on personal perspectives on Chinese cultural attribution to conflict and how culture affects approach in resolving conflict.
Discussion
As a person of Chinese descent, cultural heritage has always been a fundamental influence in terms of personal attitude and behavior. The Chinese culture is generally centers in individualism and collectivism, which also defines the approach that Chinese people take in resolving conflicts. Individualism is defined as the person putting a greater emphasis on self-interest. They are more likely inclined to compete, has a tendency to be assertive, and undermine the need for harmony. At certain point Chinese people could work in a group or team setting, but the underlying objects has always been geared towards attaining success that cannot be achieved by working solo. On the other hand, the individualistic characteristic of the Chinese society varies according to situation. For instance, achieving success is not always motivated by teamwork, but rather a joint effort to achieve goals. However, the sense of affiliation is still apparent in the Chinese culture, which presents the other side of the culture as collectivism.
These two cultural attributes are often the center of the criticisms that China and the Chinese people in particular is getting the rest of other people. In addition, the long standing disputes over territories, which was apparent as well in the ancient Chinese history appears to be occurring even in the modern times. Furthermore, the wide geographical size of the country was obtained by occupation of the ancient dynasties, which created a trail of bad taste on China’s history. This sort of attitude is still prevalent in the modern China as it presses claim on islands in the South China Sea creating a conflict with its neighboring countries such as the Philippines. This kind socio-cultural characteristic that oppresses the weaker neighbors attests to the aforementioned attitude of individualism. Wherein, self-interest is being insisted and disregarding consequences of potential conflict.
As a Chinese, such notion about China and its culture embedded with individualism and oppressive nature affects personal perception on conflict and approach in resolving conflict issues. For example, when in a situation where ownership is in question, the most common response received from non-Chinese people is that, being overly possessive on things is part of being Chinese. The result of such notion is that, it becomes more difficult to resolve conflict because perceptions exists that the participation in resolving the conflict was not initiated out of the need to resolute, but an act of self-interest. Furthermore, taking part of a conflict resolution creates an idea that the act was made due to anticipation of achieving something for self-sake.
Having cited the common perception about Chinese individualism resulting to difficulties in resolving conflicts, it becomes clear that the message here is that Chinese people can get what they want. In addition, conflict is just one of the many consequences that may occur in the process and that sustaining self-interest is more important than keeping the harmony alive. Realizing the cultural attribution of individualism-collectivism to conflict and resolution, it becomes clear that the most influential cultural filter in Chinese culture is social perspective. It appears to have the highest influence due to the fact that individualism affects the capacity to resolve delicate issues. Given the negative notions of individualism among Chinese people, the best way to resolve conflicts rationally and effectively is to apply the theoretical concepts of conflict styles. For example, since there is a negative notion about the Chinese people being the people that gets what they say theirs require a compromising approach in conflict resolution. People who prefer this style agrees to compromise in the situation by finding a solution that will partially satisfy everyone involved. For instance, if a conflict was rooted from disputes over a collective number of properties. The compromising approach will be helpful in resolving the dispute by allowing both parties to present their evidence and weigh in the possibilities that will benefit both parties. A diplomatic approach can be employed in the process and it is important to bring the issue upon the awareness of all that are involved. If a certain conflict involves the greater public, it is better to share the issue with the public. This king of approach is bot being practiced often in the Chinese conflict resolution settings due to the avoidance of public embarrassment.
Conclusion
The long and rich Chinese culture is not always about being in the team, there is a strong hint of individualism among the Chinese people as a result of cultural value developed through the years, but approaches such as compromising styles would be an appropriate strategy.
Works Cited
Kwintessential.co.uk. "China - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette | global-etiquette." The Translation Agency For A Complete Professional Translation Service. kwintessential.co.uk, n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. <http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/china-country-profile.html>.
Mindtools.com. "Conflict Resolution - Resolving conflict rationally and effectively - Leadership training from MindTools.com." Management Training, Leadership Training and Career Training. mindtools.com, n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. <http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm>.
