Uncertainty Avoidance, Culture, and People's Reaction to Conflict

People of every nationality possess values and culture that they believe in and follow. These cultures and values influence their attitudes and behavior, including reactions to conflict. This study used a randomized sample of 158 Javanese employees working at state-owned enterprises in Central and East Java. The objective was to identify the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and conflict management. Two types of questionnaire were used for data collection: one for uncertainty avoidance and one for styles of management conflict. Results showed that Javanese people had a passive conflict management style and high uncertainty avoidance. There was a positive and significant correlation between uncertainty avoidance and passive conflict management. We can thus assert that higher uncertainty avoidance leads to greater passivity in managing conflict. The results support underlying theories and concepts relating to Javanese culture, and can be applied to managing people’s reactions to conflict situations. Keywords— conflict management style, culture, javanese people, values