Cultural mediation is a profession that studies cultural differences to solve problems between people, such as communication styles and cultural norms. Mediators must be fair and impartial, but this can be challenging as communication styles vary by country and class. Multicultural teams can be used to match facilitators with the ethnicities of the parties involved. Cultural mediation is also used in the workplace and social institutions to promote understanding and resolve conflicts.
Cultural mediation describes a profession that studies cultural differences between people, using data in problem solving. A company might have global clients with different communication styles and cultural norms for dispute resolution. Cultural mediation attempts to bridge these differences based on the traditions of both sides.
Mediators are taught to be fair and impartial when facilitating a solution to a business misunderstanding. This style might seem foreign to people of certain cultures. For example, some countries adopt a communication style that takes a firm stand on an issue and people are expected to defend their views. People from these regions may not trust a completely impartial mediator.
The nuances in communication styles also vary by country. For example, Latin Americans and Arabs tend to use emotions when dealing with others. Africans and Asians might exhibit a more stoic demeanor. A mediator who establishes typical ground rules prohibiting interruption or emotional responses may have difficulty dealing with people who find that style of negotiation alien.
Cultural mediation is considered difficult because expectations vary by country and between classes of people within a county. Cultural norms can be flexible and can change based on gender, age and religion. Societies of people within the same country might share different beliefs and ways of expressing themselves that depart from the basic assumptions about the people in the region.
Some cultural mediation services use multicultural teams that match facilitators with the ethnicities of the parties involved. They could modify normal mediation standards to encourage respect for one party’s or the other’s traditional practices. With globalization in the business world, cultural mediation can prove challenging when trying to understand the communication styles of many different cultures.
Cultural mediation could also prove useful in the workplace. Some European countries employ mediators to deal with conflicts that arise when immigrants are hired. In some regions, mediation is funded by the government and includes training, education and counseling to improve relationships between people from different backgrounds. Cultural mediation is also used in social institutions, such as schools, hospitals and prisons.
These mediators act as spokespersons for immigrants to educate the majority population about the cultural differences of minorities in the workplace. Mediators try to promote understanding to resolve conflicts. They typically explore the perceptions that led to a problem, look for cultural reasons behind these beliefs, and help devise solutions that everyone likes.
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