Discuss the five conflict management styles.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Avoiding involves physically or psychologically removing oneself from a conflict. It is both unassertive and uncooperative and is typically characterized as a lose-lose approach. Avoiding may be appropriate when hot tempers need to cool down or when either the issue or the relationship isn’t important. People risk damaging their relationships when avoidance becomes a habit because it doesn’t deal with or resolve the conflict; instead, avoidance usually makes the conflict more difficult to deal with later on. Accommodating is satisfying the needs or accepting the opinions of one’s partner while neglecting one’s own needs or opinions. It is unassertive and cooperative and is typically characterized as a lose-win approach. It may be appropriate when the issue is not important to a person, but the relationship is.
Competing is satisfying one’s needs or desires with little or no concern for others’ desires or for one’s relationships. It is assertive and uncooperative and is typically characterized as a win-lose approach. It may be appropriate when quick and decisive action must be taken to ensure one’s own or another’s welfare or safety. If one partner uses competing and the other responds by avoiding or accommodating, the conflict may seem to have resolved even though it has not. And if both partners engage in competing, the conflict is likely to escalate. Although competing may result in getting one’s way, when used repeatedly it will usually hurt one’s partner and damage the relationship.
Compromising occurs when each partner gives up part of what they desire to satisfy part of what their partner wants. It is partially assertive and cooperative and is typically characterized as a partial lose-lose approach. Neither partner is completely satisfied, but it seems to be the best solution either can hope for. Compromising may be appropriate when the issue is moderately important, when there are no time constraints, when doing so will buy credits for future negotiations, and when attempts at collaborating have not been successful.
Collaborating occurs when people work through the problem together to discover a mutually acceptable solution. It is assertive and cooperative and is typically characterized as a win-win approach. It may be appropriate when the issue is too important for a compromise, when the relationship is important, and when one wants to come up with a creative solution to a problem. Collaboration is usually done by discussing the issues, describing feelings, and identifying the characteristics of a solution that will satisfy everyone.