Personal Conflict Analysis

COM3621: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

September 27, 2018

Class Agenda

■ Defining Conflict Styles ■ Six Characteristics of Conflict Styles

Conflict Styles

■ Conflict styles are behavioral orientations that people can take toward conflict

■ Avoidance ■ Accommodation ■ Competition ■ Compromise ■ Collaboration

Conflict Styles

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Characteristics of Conflict Styles

■ Disclosiveness ■ Empowerment ■ Activity ■ Flexibility

Conflict Styles: Avoidance (“Lose-Lose”) ■ Low level of concern for their own interests and others’ interests ■ Low level of activeness, low disclosiveness, low flexibility ■ Variations – Protecting – Withdrawing – Smoothing

Conflict Styles: Accommodation (Lose-Win) ■ High concern for others; low concern for self ■ Highly flexible, low activeness, low disclosiveness ■ Variations – Yielding – Conceding

Conflict Styles: Competition (Win-Lose) ■ High concern for self, low concern for others ■ Variations – Forcing – Contending

■ Bid for control can breed aggression

Conflict Styles: Competition (Win-Lose) ■ Passive aggression – When a communicator expresses dissatisfaction in a disguised

manner – Tactics designed to punish another person without direct

confrontation

Conflict Styles: Competition (Win-Lose) ■ Direct aggression – Attacking the character of a person in order to show power over them

■ Severe impact on the targeted party

Conflict Styles: Compromise (Negotiated Lose-Lose) ■ Gives each party at least some of what they want, although

both sacrifice part of their goals ■ Moderate activeness, flexibility, disclosiveness, and

empowerment ■ Variations – Firm compromising – Flexible compromising

Conflict Styles: Collaboration (Win-Win) ■ High degree of concern for self and for others ■ Conditions – Vested interest in outcome of the conflict – Belief that conflict can be resolved in interest of all involved – Willingness to set aside hostility

■ Collaborative problem solving is rare – Requires time, energy, creativity