Conflict, communication and team collaboration: a comparison of Nigerians and US Americans

Purpose Given the growing relationship between Nigeria and the USA, the purpose of this study is to compare conflict communication of Nigerians and Americans. Design/methodology/approach A total of 186 Nigerians and 214 Americans completed an online survey of Hammer’s (2005) Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory as well as items about the effect of conflict on team collaboration. Findings Contrary to expectations, Nigerians reported using more direct, whereas Americans reported using more indirect, communication when confronting conflict despite the stereotype that Americans are typically direct or more likely to say what is on their minds. However, consistent with expectations, Nigerians reported exercising more emotional restraint, whereas Americans favored the use of emotional expressiveness in conflict. Originality/value Overall, Nigerians were more concerned than Americans about the negative effect of conflict on team collaboration in the workplace. This concern was associated with the use of directness, indirectness and emotional restraint. Further, an exploratory structural equation model showed that the use of emotional expression was affected, in different ways, by several aspects of work and communication. Implications of these results are discussed along with directions for future research.