Written Assignment
From what you have learned about conflict style in the reading, write an essay of 800 -1,000 words in length in which you do the following:
- Describe what you consider to be your predominant style of interacting in conflict situations.
- Classify the style in terms of which of the categories in the reading assignment it appears to fit best and explain why.
- Discuss situations in which you think your style has been of help in resolving conflicts and others in which it has been problematic.
- Identify what you think might be some of the difficulties in trying to change your style if a given situation seemed to make a change appear advisable.
Expected Outcome
By reflecting on how you typically behave in conflict situations, you will learn something about the possible reasons for your successes and failures in managing conflicts and the need for greater flexibility if you are to improve the success-to-failure ratio.
a. Competing (forcing–the hard form–and contending–the softer form);
b. Avoiding (with the variations of protecting, as in, “I am not going to talk about it,” withdrawing, as in subtly changing the subject, and smoothing, as in de-emphasizing the significance of the issue in dispute);
c. Accommodating (including both yielding, or completely giving in to the other party, and conceding on some issues);
d. Compromising (firm concerning what one is willing to give up and expects in return and “flexible” in respect to these matters); and
e. Collaborating–active engagement in a search for settlements that fulfill both parties desires.
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