Conflict Style

There are five primary styles people use to resolve conflict, but it is the rare individual that handles every situation in the same way. When you understand how a person handles conflict, as their primary and secondary mechanism, you can usually spot trouble areas before they develop to the boiling point.

Managers that are not aware of how their team members process information tend to believe that everyone processes the information the same way they do. This can be disastrous in the work environment, and may in fact be a contributor to high employee turnover.

Upper level managers can benefit greatly by discovering who is ready for promotion, and who needs more training in certain areas. This type of testing can help identify those situations.

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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT FOR THIS PERSON

The following Five Styles of Conflict Management are presented in the Workstyles Outcome Reports:
Accommodating
Avoiding
Competing/Forcing
Compromising
Collaborating

This individual's style of dealing with conflict is...
Primarily COMPETING/FORCING

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COMPETING

POSTURE:
"I will win, You will lose!"

ATTITUDE:
"Do it my way or not at all."
"My way or the Highway!"

STRATEGY:
Compete, control, outwit, coerce, fight, force, persist, "stick with it".

PREFERS OTHERS:
Compete, control, outwit, coerce, fight, force, persist, "stick with it".

INTERACTION:
Impatient with dialogue and information.

LEADERSHIP STYLE:
Authoritarian, threatened by disagreement, power in position, reacts to crisis, maintains the status quo.

GOAL / RELATIONS:
Has a high concern for achieving personal goals even at the risk of potentially harming the relationship.

PROBLEM AREAS:
Can be a strong leader but may not always be aware of other's feelings or demonstrate regard for their feelings.
Secondarily COLLABORATING

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COLLABORATING

POSTURE:
"I can win and you can win too!"

ATTITUDE:
"My preference is… what is your preference?"

STRATEGY:
Gathers information, looks for alternatives, open to dialogue, welcomes varied views and potential disagreement.

PREFERS OTHERS:
Who collaborate and are willing to compromise at times.

INTERACTION:
Focuses on information gathering.

LEADERSHIP STYLE:
Big on process and dialogue, energized by controversy, quick to delegate power in skills, trust and gifts. Open to change and growth, planning discussions to prevent crisis, examines a variety of options and alternatives.

GOAL / RELATIONS:
This style does not typically create problems, but rather, brings resolution. However, this person may become depressed when others aren't open to the same positive approach.

PROBLEM AREAS:
This person may become discouraged when taking a flexible stance but others do not respond back with a flexible attitude or posture.