Managing cross-culture conflicts: A close look at the implication of direct versus indirect confrontation

This chapter focuses on what it means for individuals from different cultures to manage conflict. We focus on one of the most prominent cultural differences: direct versus indirect confrontation. We describe the differences between direct versus indirect confrontation of conflict, elaborate on how culture influences this difference, discuss the pros and cons of each approach, and describe the different forms that direct and indirect confrontation can take. We end with a discussion of myths about indirect confrontation concluding that, despite the indirect label, indirect confrontation sends a very direct message to those who are primed culturally to recognize it.