Speaking of huge cultural variation... an experience I had working with Russian contractors: they didn't realize that we disagreed with their plan because we hadn't yelled at them. No idea whether that's a general Russian cultural principle or not, but we did get better at disagreeing, when necessary, after that.
I suspect that a large part of the problem was that Canadians tend to disagree rather obliquely.
Having worked with a lot of Russians/former Sovjets, I can see this happening.
They're often serious in most endeavours ("work hard play hard", "smiling is for leisure time" etc), and this extends to disagreements IME.
There was one incident where two (white collar adults) had a fist fight over a seemingly minor issue. I was mortified (Swede), but they were fine? As in the fight settled it, and they were now pals again.
I admire their style. Explicit in feeling, resolve conflict right away, hold no grudges. Reminds me of the genuine interaction among children or chimpanzee politics [1], where upon resolving conflicts, everyone are friends again (chimpanzees are more nuanced but still).
I suspect that a large part of the problem was that Canadians tend to disagree rather obliquely.