Date: 12/16/2016

Title: CONFLICT, CONFETTI, THE MOON, AND A FORK – Part 2

By Bryan Arzani

There are five styles of conflict resolution: avoid, dominate (compete), dialogue (collaborate), compromise, and accommodate. None of these styles is good or bad, right or wrong. They just are. Avoiding, as a style, involves pushing a decision off until another time. Dominate is a style where you are the one who makes the call, usually without input from others. Dialogue is a style used where much discussion occurs, and opinions are shared and considered. Compromise is when you give something, and so does the other person. Accommodate is when you just give something…usually without getting anything in return. There are two key pieces to remember: your skill and the situation.

Which of the five styles do you automatically default to? We all have our “favorite”!!! Do you overuse any of them? Do you underuse any of them? Either overuse or underuse causes problems as a leader. When we lean too much on one style, we miss other ways to resolve conflict. We alienate people when we could have brought them into the fold. We take too long to make decisions. We lose our team’s enthusiasm. When we underuse a particular style, we can do the same thing. Confusing? It can be. But, remember….when you are self-aware, you recognize that you need to learn how to use all five styles (your skill). And, you know which condition calls for which style of resolution (knowing the situation).

To learn more about how to practice this understanding, contact Results Group, LLC at www.ResultsGroupLLC.com or 515-330-2866.