*Afita Nur Hayati, Muhammad Nurfazri, Endang Martini, Endah Nur Latifah, Ramadiva Muhammad Akhyar, Tri Wahyuni, Dedi Sulaeman

Abstract:

This qualitative phenomenological study investigates intercultural communication and conflict management within a collectivist higher education context at Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris State Islamic University, Samarinda. Anchored in Hofstede’s, Triandis’, and Thomas-Kilmann’s frameworks, the research examines students’ cultural orientations, female class representatives’ leadership negotiations, and classroom conflict dynamics. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with three purposively selected participants and cultural orientation mapping of 33 students from the 2022 Islamic Communication and Broadcasting Program. Findings reveal that while most students exhibit collectivist, compromising tendencies to preserve harmony, the female class leader displays individualistic, competitive styles, creating contrasting expectations in decision-making. However, language mediation and respectful communication effectively bridge these gaps to facilitate consensus, while the female class president demonstrates transcultural leadership across institutional hierarchies.

Keywords: Conflict management, generation Z, classroom leadership, collectivism and individualism, intercultural communication, language and identity