Impact of University Students’ Emotional Competence on Conflict Management Styles: Cross-cultural Comparison between Japan and Myanmar

While Asian cultures are often grouped into the category of collectivists and are assumed to be similar, we opine to differ, especially in the issue of conflict management. Gunkel et al. (2016) found that in addition to collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation affected the choice of strategy in a conflict, having been mediated by emotional intelligence. Furthermore, Moriizumi and Takai (2007) noted that relational factors, such as intimacy and status differences, are connected to conflict strategies. Extending on these previous studies, we assumed that these relational factors affect emotional competence (EC), which in turn affects the choice of strategy in dealing with a conflict, and that culture affects how much weight is given to relational concerns. In particular, we examined two Asian cultures that we assumed to be highly contrasted, Japan and Myanmar. We conducted a cross-cultural survey, which featured intimacy (high, low) and power/social status (high, equal) as a within-subjects independent variable, EC (intrapersonal, interpersonal; Brasseur et al., 2013) as a mediating variable, and likelihood of usage of five conflict strategies (Rahim, 1983). University students were surveyed (Japan: n=292; Myanmar: n=314). Results showed that intimacy and status affected the choice of integrating and compromising strategies, mediated by interpersonal EC for both cultures. For Japanese, low intimacy-equal status relationships affected the choice of dominating style through interpersonal EC. The findings reflect the significant role of relational factors on the choice of conflict management styles through interpersonal EC.

Gunkel, Schlaegel, and Taras (2016)

Moriizumi and Takai (2007)

Brasseur, Grégoire, Bourdu, & Mikolajczak (2013)

Rahim (1983)