Intercultural Communication and Conflict Negotiation Strategies

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Written by Clemson University SCRDP Tuesday, 02 June 2009 13:50

Summary of: Intercultural communication competence and conflict negotiation strategies: Perceptions of park staff and diverse park users. Santos, C. & Rozier. S. (2007). Intercultural communication competence and conflict negotiation strategies: Perceptions of park staff and diverse park users. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 25(1), 22-49.

Study:

With the U.S. population growing more ethically and culturally diverse, “this exploratory study tested significant relationships between park and recreation practitioners and Latino and African American park users’ perceptions of intercultural communication competence (ICC) and conflict negotiation strategies.”

Findings:

The findings in this study confirm that “park and recreation practitioners can not underestimate the influence that one’s racial and ethnic background has on interpersonal communication behaviors.”
Practitioners believe that the Latino population had a lower ICC level than the population believed, however the African American population had the same ICC level as practitioners believed.
Latinos perceived themselves as being far less confrontational, argumentative and unable to communicate and understand individuals than park staff believed. This finding was also true of the African American population.
Both populations did not perceive themselves as being as confrontational and nonnegotiable as the park staff perceived.
Implications include developing a diversity training model, holding diversity trainings for all staff members, and implementing “informal and formal support groups and networks within culturally diverse communities.”