All people have a conflict-handling method toward which they naturally gravitate. Have you ever considered which one you tend to use—or whether it's the best one for the job when you find yourself embroiled in a conflict?
Your options include:
- Avoidance: ignoring a conflict rather than resolving it with the other person.
- Compromise: both sides give and take, emphasizing harmony and fairness – even halves.
- Domination: it's my way or no way.
- Giving in: letting the other person have his/her own way.
- Collaboration: searching for a solution that meets everyone’s needs – everyone invests in creating the best solution.
Is it easy for you to pick out which of these you use most readily? If not, you can use our conflict response style survey (PDF) to look at your tendencies.
The style you get the highest score in is likely to be your most natural response to conflict situations. (Scores can range from 5 to 20.)