The Impact of Conflict Management Approaches for Indigenous Employees

In the previous lesson, we learned about different sources and expressions of conflict in the workplace using scenarios and case studies for illustration. Now that you have a good understanding of what conflict might look like for Indigenous employees, we will explore how to manage conflict in culturally appropriate and effective ways.

Let’s get started now by answering a few key questions that we might asking ourselves!

Why do we need culturally appropriate conflict management practices for Indigenous employees?

As covered in the introductory module, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) urges the corporate sector to engage in a comprehensive understanding of Indigenous history, create room for Indigenous perspectives, and embrace conflict management methods that respect cultural nuances. Indigenous worldviews such as holism and relationality, cultural values such as collectivism, traditional conflict management approaches, and history as a marginalized group in Canada suggest that Euro-centric Western approaches to workplace conflict management may not be ideal for Indigenous employees.

What conflict management approaches do Indigenous employees in Southwest Ontario prefer?

We surveyed and spoke with Indigenous employees to understand their preferences for conflict management approaches. We included questions to measure preferences for approaches commonly taught and used in corporate North America. As a reminder, these five conflict management approaches are defined by the degree to which one is concerned with their own outcome and with the other party’s outcome.

You will recall that these approaches do not address any factors beyond resolving the problem at hand and the parties’ outcome. There is no consideration for other parties affected by the conflict or for restoring the affected parties’ relationships.

Because of this, we also asked Indigenous employees about their preferences for relational, holistic, and traditional conflict management approaches. These preferences embody principles of responsibility, culture, and regeneration, emphasizing the importance of restoring relationships and creating a supportive and healing environment for all parties involved directly and indirectly.