Dealing with Disputes: The Influence of Individualism-Collectivism

Abstract

Abstract Research concerned with the influence of the individualism-collectivism value dimension on procedural preferences for conflict resolution has suggested that harmony-enhancing procedures such as mediation and negotiation are more preferred in collectivist than in individualist societies, whereas the reverse is the case for competitive procedures such as arbitration. However, almost all collectivist samples have been drawn from Asian societies, where unique values that may independently influence preference, such as the Confucian work dynamism, have been identified. The generality of this research was investigated; university students from Canada (an individualistic society) and Nigeria (a non-Asian collectivist society) were asked to indicate their preferences for certain adversary and nonadversary procedures and to complete C. H. Hui's (1988) Individualism-Collectivism scale. The results were not in line with previous research: Not only did Canadian subjects show a clear preference for negotiation, but Nigerian subjects also showed an almost equal preference for both negotiation and arbitration. Support was thus given to Schwartz's (1990) proposal that individualistic and collective values need not form coherent syndromes that are in polar opposition.