Conflict Management Style

Choosing A Conflict Management Style
Cooperative Problem Solving
Competing
Compromising
Avoiding
Accommodating
In every situation we are responsible for our actions. Conflict situations offer each of us an opportunity to choose a style for responding to the conflict. The key to effective conflict prevention and management is to choose the conflict management style appropriate for the conflict. Most of us have a favorite style that we use in conflict situations, but we are all capable of choosing a different style when it is appropriate.
Five main types of conflict management styles are described below: Cooperative problem-solving, competing, avoiding, accommodating and compromising. Animals are associated with each style to help you remember the differences among the styles. Remember that animals, like people, may have a favorite style, but they may also choose to adopt a new style in special situations.
Review the five styles and then proceed to the following activities. Teachers may want to refer to additional information located in Section Three, Resources for Skill Enhancement.
Cooperative Problem Solving
Choosing a cooperative problem-solving style enables people to work together so everyone can win. Using this style, people try to find a solution that will help everyone meet their interests and help everyone maintain a good relationship.
A dolphin usually chooses a cooperative problem-solving style. Dolphins use whistles and clicks to communicate with each other to catch food cooperatively and to summons help. For example, when a dolphin is sick or injured, other dolphins will help it to the surface so it can breathe.
Although the dolphin usually chooses to be a cooperative problem solver, it can also choose other styles depending on the situation. For example, if a dolphin has a baby and a shark is in the area, the dolphin will choose to use a competitive style to deal with the shark. Continuing to use its favorite style of cooperation would greatly endanger the life of the baby dolphin.
Competing
Choosing a competitive style means that a person is putting his/her interest before anyone else's interests. In fact, sometimes people who use the competitive style try so hard to get what they want that they ruin friendships.
A lion can be a symbol of a competitive style. The lion's roar helps the lion to satisfy its interests. For example, if the lion's family is hungry and needs food, the lion may use its strength and loud roar to get the food because it is important for the family.
However, the lion can also choose to use a compromising or accommodating style when playing or resting with a lion cub.
Compromising
People choose a compromising style when it is important for them to satisfy some of their interests, but not all of them. People who compromise are likely to say "let's split the difference" or "something is better than nothing."
A zebra can be a symbol for the compromising style. A zebra's unique look seems to indicate that it didn't care if it was a black horse or a white horse, so it "split the difference" and chose black and white stripes.
However, a zebra may not choose a compromising style for all things. A zebra may choose a cooperative or competitive style like the dolphin or lion depending on the situation.
Avoiding
People who chose the avoiding style do not get involved in a conflict. A person choosing the avoiding style might say "you decide and leave me out of it."
A turtle is a symbol for the avoiding style because it can avoid everything by pulling its head and legs into its shell to get away from everyone.
A turtle also chooses other styles at times. It does not always choose to stay in its shell, because it would miss out on everything from eating to swimming.
Accommodating
People who choose an accommodating style put their interests last and let others have what they want. Many times these people believe that keeping a good friendship is more important than anything else.
A chameleon is a symbol of the accommodating style because it changes its color to match the color of its environment. By changing its color to accommodate its surroundings, the chameleon fits quietly into its environment.
Although the chameleon may always change its color to accommodate its surroundings, it may choose other styles when it is hunting for food, taking care of its young, or hiding from enemies. Written by Terrence Wheeler, Ohio Commissi