210
Part
3
Interacting
Effectively
PERSONAL
INVENTORY
ASSESSMENT
Learn
About
Yourself
Managing
Interpersonal
Conflict
x
Conflict
Management
Strategies
Conflict
researchers
often
use
dual
concern
theory
to
describe
people’s
conflict
manage-
ment
strategies.
Dual
concern
theory
considers
how
one’s
degree
of
cooperativeness
(the
degree
to
which
one
tries
to
satisfy
the
other
person’s
concerns)
and
assertiveness
(the
degree
to
which
one
tries
to
satisfy
one’s
own
concerns)
determine
how
a
conflict
is
handled.”
The
five
conflict-handling
strategies
identified
by
the
theory
are
as
follows:"’
e
Forcing.
Imposing
one’s
will
on
the
other
party.
e
Problem
solving.
Trying
to
reach
an
agreement
that satisfies
both
one’s
own
and
the
other
party’s
aspirations
as
much
as
possible.
®
Avoiding.
Ignoring
or
minimizing
the
importance
of
the
issues
creating
the
conflict.
e
Yielding.
Accepting
and
incorporating
the
will
of
the
other
party.
e
Compromising.
Balancing
concern
for
oneself
with
concern
for
the
other
party
in
order
to
reach
a
solution.
Forcing
is
a
win-lose
solution,
as
is
yielding,
while
problem
solving
seeks
a
win-win
solution.
Avoiding
conflict
and
pretending
it
does
not
exist
and
compromising,
so
that
neither
person
gets
what
they
want,
can
yield
lose-lose
solutions.
Exhibit
6-5
illustrates
these
five
strategies,
along
with
specific
actions
that
one
might
take
when
using
them.
o
>
E
Satisfying
one’s
own
interests
Clarifying
differences
to
find
a
without
concern
for
the
other’s
mutually
beneficial
outcomes
<
interests
*
Exchange
information
about
2
*
Make
threats and
bluffs
priorities
and
preferences
o
*
Make
persuasive
arguments
*
Show
insights
H
*
Make
positional
commitments
*
Make
trade-offs
between
S
important
and
unimportant
issues
£
P
i
2
[
Compromis
"
Z
»
Giving
up
something
to
reach
an
g
g
outcome
(done
by
both
parties)
B
9
*
Match
other’s
concessions
=
-.E
*
Make
conditional
promises
9
=
and
threats
<
3
*
Search
for
a
middle
ground
2
g
_
Avoidin
:
5
Iding
>
o
Withdrawing
from
or
ignoring
Placing
the
other’s
interests
above
=2
conflict
one’s
own
g
*
Don’t
think
about
the
issues
*
Make
unilateral
concessions
a
*
Make
unconditional
promises
s
«
Offer
help
2
Uncooperative
Cooperative
COOPERATIVENESS
Trying
to
satisfy
the
other
person’s
concerns
Sources:
Based
on
K.
W.
Thomas,
“Conflict
and
Negotiation
Processes
in
Organizations,”
in
Handbook
of
Industrial
and
Organizational
Psychology,
vol.
3,
2nd
ed.,
ed.
M.
D.
Dunnette
and
L.
M.
Hough
(Palo
Alto,
CA:
Consulting
Psychologists
Press,
1992),
p.
668;
C.
K.
W.
De
Dreu,
A.
Evers,
B.
Beersma,
E.
S.
Kluwer, and
A.
Nauta,
“A
Theory-Based
Measure
of
Conflict
Management
Strategies
in
the
Workplace,”
Journal
of
Organizational
Behavior
22,
no.
6
(September
2001),
pp.
645-668;
and
D.
G.
Pruitt
and
J.
Rubin,
Social
Conflict:
Escalation,
Stalemate
and
Settlement
(New
York:
Random
House,
1986).
