France – The Nation Of Counsellors

France – The Nation Of Counsellors

The French seem to experience fewer negative outcomes than most in dealing with conflict; however they are also the least likely to see a win-win situation from conflict, and the most likely to avoid conflict altogether.

What the French seem to like is more counseling for employees, with 45% saying their managers should provide better counseling to deal with disagreements. The French were also more likely to fail to attend a meeting as a result of conflict, suggesting they may prefer powerful gestures to actual conversations.

USA – The Structured Approach

Conflict is relatively high in American workplaces, with a third of all workers reporting they constantly deal with conflict in their role, and a quarter of all workers conceding that they’ve experienced a conflict that led to someone being fired…not exactly happy findings there…

However, US Workers are twice as likely to have had training to deal with conflict, and nearly a quarter have participated in leadership development programs.

Question: How come Japanese people seem to be meticulously careful about obeying laws and following rules? And they're so polite. Are they really that harmonious and well-behaved?

Towards other members of their own group, the answer is frequently, yes, they are very careful about following rules and not causing conflicts. Why is this? One hears two frequent and opposing explanations.

1. Voice 1: Japan is a harmonious society with low rates of litigation, crime, and divorce. Their citizens learn to be attentive to others, to value group goals more than immediate personal gain, and to broadly include everyone in group activities and decisions. Their government ensures that most people have access to basic needs.

2. Voice 2: Japan is a repressive society that trains citizens to be submissive, where exploitation, violence, suffering, and opposition are hidden in order to keep up the illusion of harmony.

Whether you believe the glass is half full or half empty, producing social harmony (or the impression of it) requires continual attention and significant resources.

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