In Have Gavel, Will Travel, Honeyman and
Cheldelin (2008) note the increasingly global and cross-cultural aspect of
conflict resolution. Indeed, society itself is increasingly global and
cross-cultural, so it should come as no surprise that conflict is increasingly
cross-cultural. This is all relevant for
alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
practitioners
because we must always be aware of and sensitive to diversity and cultural
competency issues. We must provide ADR
services, including conflict resolution education, that respect the
diverse cultural backgrounds and interests of our clients. However, as we all know, “culture” is
“ambiguous and notoriously difficult to define.” Serge Loode, Navigating the Unchartered Waters of Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution
Education, ACR Resolution Quarterly, Fall 2011, Vol. 29. No. 1.
Serge Loode has
written an interesting and informative article addressing authentic and
respectful conflict education that accommodates differing cultural needs. Id.
He cautions against the two biggest risks in defining culture: to either
overstate or devalue the differences between cultures. He also notes that different cultures will
likely have assumptions concerning “what conflict is and how it should be dealt
with.” Additionally, event “the
education process itself carries implicit ethical messages” in how we address
cultural differences.
Loode describes the
main models of conflict resolution training—prescriptive, elicitive and
dialogical. He observes certain inherent
drawbacks to the prescriptive model in cross cultural contexts. Specifically, it involves the transfer of
knowledge by an expert, “who is responsible for the content and process of the
workshop and transfer of this expert knowledge to the participants. Under this model, cultural concerns are
addressed as a separate, discrete and generally small component of the entire
training. It is also hierarchical and based
on a more “Western” model of top-down education, and may not be relevant or
compelling to participants from different cultures.
In contrast, the
elicitive model focuses on “participatory and critical teaching methods,”
emphasizing cognition, problem-solving, and group/reciprocal learning rather
that the formal and stilted transfer of knowledge. Because problems are explored together, it is
more likely to result in the development of more culturally appropriate
conflict resolution processes. On founding father of problem solving education,
Paul Lederach, has developed a simple elicitive sequence to use in conflict
resolution education: (a) the
participants explore what is generally done by the members of the group or
culture when conflict arises; (b) then the participants “develop their own
terms, language and categories for the conflict resolution activities that they
have identified,” (c) next the group evaluates which of the identified
strategies work and what does not, and modify and adapt the processes as
necessary; (d) finally, “the new or recreated processes are applied in practice
through simulations, or … application to real conflict situations.” Loode, citing Lederach, 1995.
The dialogical
approach, as described next, appears to be located somewhere in between the
former models, and it is the model Loode ultimately pushes as best geared to providing
cross cultural training. Although based
on the Western Socratic model, it also involves group and reciprocal learning,
and “allows for the sharing of thought and can transform existing beliefs and
create innovations and cultural artifacts.
Loode. A common feature of the dialogical approach is
also the “check in,” in which the training leader checks in with the
participants frequently to get feedback on “how the conversation is going and
whether they want to discuss a particular issue in more detail.” Id.,
citing Bush and Fogler (2005). In this
manner, the participants have considerable influence in shaping the ultimate
content of the training.
For my part, I
encourage trainers to use elements of all three models, to craft workshops that
best suit their individual style and comfort level while also promoting genuine
and ethical cross-cultural training that meets the needs of and is relevant to
the parties.
If you are interested
in conflict resolution services or training, please contact Pilar Vaile, P.C. at (505) 247-0802 or
info@pilarvailepc.com.
