WEEK 4 - Exercise 1 - How Do You Handle Conflict - Assessment

EXERCISE: HUMAN RELATIONS MODEL -
COMPETENCY 5 MANAGING &

ENCOURAGING CONFLICT
ASSESSMENT How Do You Handle Conflict?
Purpose: This activity allows you to consider various behavioural and attitudinal
dimensions of handling conflict. This exercise will call for you to assess
your own patterns of handling conflict.
Key Topics: Thomas’ (1976) five conflict management approaches (shown in Figure
M1.3) [page 94] correspond to the three categories of conflict handling
strategies: nonconfrontational (includes avoidance and accommodation),
solution-oriented (collaboration and compromise), and control (synonymous
with competition).
 Avoiding: sidestepping the conflict

 Accommodating: trying to satisfy the other person’s concerns at expense of your own
 Compromising: trying to find an acceptable settlement that only partially satisfies
both people’s concerns
 Competing: trying to satisfy your concerns at the expense of others
 Collaborating: trying to find a win-win solution which completely satisfies both
people’s concerns
Objective: Conflict is present in every organization, and not all conflict is bad. Understanding
how you generally approach conflict is an important first step in improving your
ability to manage conflict productively.
Directions: Think of a friend, relative, manager, or co-worker with whom you have had a number
of disagreements. Write down the person’s name. Then indicate how frequently you
engage in each of the following behaviours during disagreements with that person.
For each item select, the number that represents the behaviour you are most likely to
exhibit. There are no right or wrong answers. Please respond to all items using the
scale below.
Scale:
Always Very Often Sometimes Seldom Very Never
1 often 3 4 5 seldom 7
2 6
1. I blend my ideas to create new alternatives for resolving a disagreement.
2. I shy away from topics that are sources of disputes.
3. I make my opinion known in a disagreement.
4. I suggest solutions that combine a variety of viewpoints
5. I steer clear of disagreeable situations.
6. I give in a little on my ideas when the other person also gives in.
7. I avoid the other person when I suspect that he or she wants to discuss a disagreement.
8. I integrate arguments into a new solution from the issues raised in a dispute.
9. I will go 50–50 to reach a settlement.
10. I raise my voice when I’m trying to get the other person to accept my position.
11. I offer creative solutions in discussions of disagreements.
12. I keep quiet about my views in order to avoid disagreements.
13. I give in if the other person will meet me halfway.
14. I downplay the importance of a disagreement.
15. I reduce disagreements by making them seem insignificant.
16. I meet the other person at a midpoint in our differences.
17. I assert my opinion forcefully
18. I dominate arguments until the other person understands my position.
19. I suggest we work together to create solutions to disagreements.
20. I try to use the other person’s ideas to generate solutions to problems.
21. I offer trade-offs to reach solutions in disagreements.
22. I argue insistently for my stance.
23. I withdraw when the other person confronts me about a controversial issue.
24. I sidestep disagreements when they arise.
25. I try to smooth over disagreements by making them appear unimportant
26. I insist my position be accepted during a disagreement with the other person.
27. I make our differences seem less serious.
28. I hold my tongue rather than argue with the other person.
29. I ease conflict by claiming our differences are trivial.
30. I stand firm in expressing my viewpoints during a disagreement.
Scoring and Interpretation:

Three categories of conflict-handling strategies are measured in this instrument:
solution-oriented, nonconfrontational, and control. By comparing your scores on
the following three scales, you can see which of the three is your preferred conflict-
handling strategy.
To calculate your three scores, add the individual scores for the items and divide by
the number of items measuring the strategy. Then subtract each of the three mean
scores from 7. The closer your score is to 0, the less likely you are to use that type of
strategy; the closer your score is to 7, the more likely you are to use that type of
strategy.
Solution-oriented: Items 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19, 20, 21 [11]
Nonconfrontational: Items 2, 5, 7, 12, 14, 15, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29 [12]
Control: Items 3, 10, 17, 18, 22, 26, 30 [7]
Solution-oriented strategies tend to focus on the problem rather than the individuals
involved. Solutions reached are often mutually beneficial, where neither party defines
herself as the winner and the other party as the loser.
Nonconfrontational strategies tend to focus on avoiding the conflict by either
avoiding the other party or by simply allowing the other party to have his way. These
strategies are used when there is more concern with avoiding a confrontation than
with the actual outcome of the problem situation.
Control strategies tend to focus on winning or achieving one’s goals without regard
for the other party’s needs or desires. Individuals using these strategies often rely on
rules and regulations in order to “win the battle.”
This exercise is an adaptation of the Organizational Communication Conflict Instrument (OCCI), Form B, developed by I. L. Putnam and C.
Wilson. Reprinted in Steven R. Wilson and Michael S. Waltman, “Assessing the Putnam-Wilson Organizational Communication Conflict
Instrument (OCCI),” Management Communication Quarterly, 1(3), pp. 382–384, copyright © by Sage Publications. Reprinted by
permission of Sage Publications, Inc.

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EXERCISE: HUMAN RELATIONS MODEL -

COMPETENCY 5 MANAGING &

 Avoiding: sidestepping the conflict

Scoring and Interpretation:

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