As we have seen in life and in literature and films -- CONFLICT is INEVITABLE.

You WILL have conflict. Conflicts can be resolved and/or managed. Conflict management often depends on the individual conflict styles of the participants.

Are you a collaborator? A compromiser? An accomodator? A competitor? An AVOIDER? (most Americans try to avoid conflict. But in other cultures, a good haggle or negotiation is a fun and satisfying pastime that show you care).

This quiz will help you decide.

I don't need the results of the quiz. Please. Just tell me if you got the result you expected, if you would like to change your attitude toward conflict, if you think that conflict is something you think about and how it will affect your working in groups -- in this class and beyond.

A few paragraphs, no more or less: Individual Assignment:This is just a prompt, not questions to be answered: Did you have a preferred conflict management style? What would encourage you to be more collaborative? How do you deal with people who use a different style of conflict management?

1. Individual Survey: Conflict Management Styles

Purpose:Understand your preferred style for dealing with conflicts. There are five basic approaches for dealing with conflicts: avoidance, accommodation, confrontation, compromise, and collaboration. The style that you prefer depends on how assertive you are about getting what you want and how much you value your relationship with the other participants.

Directions:Use the following scale to indicate the amount of your agreement with each of the following statements about how you deal with conflict.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree

_____ 1. I try to avoid stating my opinion in order not to create disagreements.

_____ 2. When there is a disagreement, I try to satisfy the needs of the other people involved.

_____ 3. I use my influence to get my position accepted by others.

_____ 4. I try to find the middle course to resolve differences.

_____ 5. I try to discuss an issue with others to find a solution acceptable to all of us.

_____ 6. I keep my opinions to myself if they disagree with others' opinions.

_____ 7. I usually go along with the desires of others in a conflict situation.

_____ 8. I am usually firm about advocating my side of an issue.

_____ 9. When I negotiate, I usually win some and lose some.

_____ 10. I like to work with others to find solutions to a problem that satisfy everyone.

_____ 11. I try to avoid disagreements with others.

_____ 12. I often go along with the recommendations of others in a conflict.

_____ 13. I stick to my position during a conflict.

_____ 14. I negotiate openly with others so that a compromise can be reached.

_____ 15. To resolve a conflict, I try to blend the ideas of all of the people involved.

1. Scoring:

Add questions 1, 6, and 11 to obtain your avoidancescore.

Add questions 2, 7, and 12 to obtain your accommodationscore.

Add questions 3, 8, and 13 to obtain your confrontationscore.

Add questions 4, 9, and 14 to obtain your compromisescore.

Add questions 5, 10, and 15 to obtain your collaborationscore.

Source:Adapted from Rahim, M. (1983). A measure of styles of handling interpersonal conflict. Academy of Management Journal, 26, 368-376.