Conflict Styles Assessment
Overview
The purpose of this paper is to provide you with the opportunity to understand the
relationship between the theoretical perspective of conflict styles and its application in
your own life. By completing two different assessments of your conflict style and
soliciting feedback from significant others in your life circle regarding the ways you
typically respond in conflict situations, you will be able to compare self perceptions and
the perceptions of others with regard to your own repertoire in conflicts.
Description
You will complete the first conflict styles worksheet. The “My Styles” and “Others’
Perspective of Your Styles” worksheets were created by William W. Wilmot, Ph.D. of
The Collaboration Institute. The worksheets are adapted from M.A. Rahim and N.R.
Mager’s article, “A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Styles of Handing Interpersonal
Conflict: First-Order Factor Model and Its Invariance Across Groups,” Journal of
Applied Psychology 80.1, (1995): 122-132.
In addition, you are to solicit feedback from at least two different people with regard to
your conflict styles by asking them to fill out the styles inventories about you. After
collecting the data regarding your individual styles, write a paper in which you compare
and contrast your perspective of your conflict styles with the assessments of others. You
will need to lay the groundwork for your comparative analysis by discussing the conflict
styles discussed in your text and in class. If you find that the two instruments generate
different results, you should make an argument about what may account for any
differences. The final section of your paper should include reflection about your styles
and their effectiveness. Remember to support any claims you make in this paper with
appropriate support and documentation.
Assessment
The paper should be typed and proofread. Assertions and claims should be appropriately
supported and cited. You will be required to turn in copies of your peer evaluation forms
and the initial draft of your paper with the final paper. The paper should be 3-5 pages in
length. This assignment is worth 20 points.
My Styles
Think of two different contexts (A and B) where you have a conflict, disagreement, argument, or
disappointment with someone. An example might be a work associate and someone you live with. Then,
according to the following scale, fill in your scores for situation A and situation B. For each question, you
will have two scores. For example, on question one the scoring might look like this:
1. 2 | 4
Person A___________________ Person B__________________
1 = Never 2 = Seldom 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Always
Person | Person
A|B
1.__|__ I avoid being put on the spot; I keep conflicts to myself.
2.__|__ I use my influence to get my ideas accepted.
3.__|__ I usually try to split the difference in order to resolve an issue.
4.__|__ I generally try to satisfy the other’s needs.
5.__|__ I try to investigate an issue to find a solution acceptable to us.
6.__|__ I usually avoid open discussion of my differences with the other.
7.__|__ I use my authority to make a decision in my favor.
8.__|__ I try to find a middle course to resolve an impasse.
9.__|__ I usually accommodate to the other’s wishes.
10.__|__ I try to integrate my ideas with the other’s to come up with a decision jointly.
11.__|__ I try to stay away from disagreement with the other.
12.__|__ I use my expertise to make a decision that favors me.
13.__|__ I propose a middle ground for breaking deadlocks.
14.__|__ I give in to the other’s wishes.
15.__|__ I try to work with the other to find solutions which satisfy both our expectations.
16.__|__ I try to keep my disagreement to myself in order to avoid hard feelings.
17.__|__ I generally pursue my side of an issue.
18.__|__ I negotiate with the other to reach a compromise.
19.__|__ I often go with the other’s suggestions.
20.__|__ I exchange accurate information with the other so we can solve a problem together.
21.__|__ I try to avoid unpleasant exchanges with the other.
22.__|__ I sometimes use my power to win.
23.__|__ I use give and take so that a compromise can be made.
24.__|__ I try to satisfy the other’s expectations.
25.__|__ I try to bring all our concerns out in the open so that the issues can be resolved .
Scoring: Add up your scores on the following questions.
A/B
1. ___/___
A/B
2. ___/__
A/B
3. ___/___
A/B
4. ___/___
A/B
5. ___/___
6. ___/___
7. ___/___
8. ___/___
9. ___/___
10.___/___
11.___/__
12.___/___
13.___/___
14.___/___
15.___/___
16.___/___
17.___/___
18.___/___
19.___/__
20.___/___
21.___/___
22.___/___
23.___/___
24.___/___
25.___/___
___/___
Avoidance
Totals
___/___
Competition
Totals
___/___
Compromise
Totals
___/___
___/__
Accommodation Collaboration
Totals
Totals
Others’ Perspective of Your Styles
Now you are going to score your styles through the lens of the other people. On the first page, you had
person A and person B. According to the following scale, ask your friend/family to fill in scores for how
you behaved when in conflict with them.
1 = Never 2 = Seldom 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Always
Person | Person
A|B
1.__|__ He or she avoided being put on the spot; He or she kept conflicts to himself or herself.
2.__|__ He or she used his or her influence to get ideas accepted.
3.__|__ He or she usually tried to split the difference in order to resolve an issue.
4.__|__ He or she generally tried to satisfy my needs.
5.__|__ He or she tried to investigate an issue to find a solution acceptable to us.
6.__|__ He or she usually avoided open discussion of differences with me.
7.__|__ He or she used their authority to make a decision in his or her favor.
8.__|__ He or she tried to find a middle course to resolve an impasse.
9.__|__ He or she usually accommodated to my wishes.
10.__|__ He or she tried to integrate their ideas with mine to come up with a decision jointly.
11.__|__ He or she tried to stay away from disagreement with me.
12.__|__ He or she used his or her expertise to make a decision that favors him or her.
13.__|__ He or she proposed a middle ground for breaking deadlocks.
14.__|__ He or she gave in to my wishes.
15.__|__ He or she tried to work with me to find solutions which satisfy both our expectations.
16.__|__ He or she kept the disagreement to himself or herself in order to avoid hard feelings.
17.__|__ He or she generally pursued his or her side of an issue.
18.__|__ He or she negotiated with me to reach a compromise.
19.__|__ He or she often goes with my suggestions.
20.__|__ He or she exchanged accurate information with me so we can solve a problem together.
21.__|__ He or she tried to avoid unpleasant exchanges with me.
22.__|__ He or she sometimes used his or her power to win.
23.__|__ He or she used give and take so that a compromise can be made.
24.__|__ He or she tried to satisfy my expectations.
25.__|__ He or she tried to bring all our concerns out in the open so that the issues can be resolved.
Scoring: Add up your scores on the following questions.
A/B
1. ___/___
A/B
2. ___/__
A/B
3. ___/___
A/B
4. ___/___
A/B
5. ___/___
6. ___/___
7. ___/___
8. ___/___
9. ___/___
10.___/___
11.___/__
12.___/___
13.___/___
14.___/___
15.___/___
16.___/___
17.___/___
18.___/___
19.___/__
20.___/___
21.___/___
22.___/___
23.___/___
24.___/___
25.___/___
___/___
Avoidance
Totals
___/___
Competition
Totals Totals
___/___
Compromise
Totals
___/___
___/__
Accommodation Collaboration