Cross-Cultural Conflict Management and Negotiation Strategies

Abstract

In today’s globalized business environment, organizations frequently encounter cross-cultural conflicts and negotiation challenges. While existing studies often emphasize Western-centric frameworks, there remains a gap in understanding how professionals from non-Western settings, particularly South Asia, approach conflict management and negotiation. This exploratory study examines preliminary trends in negotiation and conflict resolution preferences among 107 professionals, the majority from Bangladesh (63.5%), supplemented by small samples from nine other countries. Using descriptive survey findings and a review of 25 scholarly articles, the study highlights Bangladeshi professionals’ strong preference for indirect communication, mediation, and emotional restraint in conflict. Limited observations from other countries suggest variation in approaches, though these cannot be generalized due to the small sample sizes. Rather than drawing definitive cross-cultural conclusions, the study positions itself as a pilot contribution, underscoring the importance of cultural intelligence while identifying directions for future research with more balanced samples.