Situational Context
In all communication interactions, considerations of situational context are important. Some scholars argue that conflict styles are not static patterns of behavior but are influenced by the situation (Stephan & Stephan,
2001) ; individuals are flexible and change their behavior during conflict (Folger, Poole, & Stutman, 1993).
Within co-cultural theory, “different practices are considered the most appropriate and effective depending on the specific situational circumstances” (Orbe, 1998a, p. 98). In other words, conflict styles can be strategically selected to meet the needs of any particular situation. Existing research on race/ethnicity and conflict has concentrated primarily on that which occurs during interactions between people of different racial and ethnic groups. Additional research is warranted that examines both intragroup and intergroup conflict across a variety of contexts. Only through multiple studies, across diverse settings, will existing findings be understood contextually.How conflict is negotiated by various racial and ethnic group members can be studied by diversifying both relational and situational contexts. By relational contexts, we are referring to studies that look at conflict within coworkers, family, acquaintances, strangers, and close friends (e.g., Collier, 1996; Houston, 2002; Ting-Toomey et al., 2000; Way, Cowal, Gingold, Pahl, & Bissessar, 2001). This line of research can explore conflict within the context of positive relationships (M. -S. Kim & Leung, 2000). Future research can also include a variety of situational contexts in which to study race/ethnicity and conflict: spiritual centers, athletic teams, various organizations, online computer exchanges, and the like (Shuter & Turner, 1997; Vance, 2002/2003). Both positive and negative in-group/out-group situations (Tzeng & Jackson, 1994) as well as task/social contexts (Bradford, Meyers, & Kane, 1999) can also be investigated (Tzeng & Jackson, 1994).
Ultimately, scholars can explore “the combined effects of context” (M. -S. Kim & Leung, 2000, p. 259) within both intra- and intergroup conflict. Results that demonstrate divergent conflict strategies for different contexts should be viewed, not as “waffling, hypocritical, or pathological” (M. -S. Kim & Leung, 2000, p. 249), but as responsive, flexible, and effective. Examples of this type of research include recent studies that examine the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a means of addressing and managing interethnic/inter- racial conflict. Walther (2009) found that CMC has the potential to reduce interethnic hostilities in ways that surpass face-to-face communication. This particular study encouraged interethnic CMC groups to focus on an external task as a means of reducing attention on divisive intergroup differences. Great possibility exists for the Internet to serve as an important vehicle for globalization and minimizing racial and cultural tensions between groups and nations (Mollov & Schwartz, 2010).