Army Family Team Building Level III

Managing Group Conflict

Conflict Management Style Assessment

This activity will give you a chance to see how you personally react to conflict. Knowing
how you react is a self-awareness tool that may be useful to you as a leader.
Instructions:
Choose a single frame of reference for answering all 15 statements (e.g., work-related
conflicts, family conflicts, or social conflicts) and keep that frame of reference throughout
the assessment.
Read each statement. Allocate 10 points among the four alternative answers. Be certain that
your answers add up to 10.
Example: When the people I supervise become involved in a personal conflict, I
usually:

Intervene to settle Call a meeting to talk the Ignore the

Offer to help if I can.
the dispute. problem over. problem
1
3 6 0

1. When someone I care about is actively hostile toward me (yelling,

threatening, abusive), I tend to:
Respond in a hostile Try to persuade the Stay and listen as long Walk away.
manner. person to give up his/her as possible.
actively hostile behavior.
___ ___ ___ ___

2. When someone who is relatively unimportant to me is actively hostile toward me

(yelling, threatening, abusive), I tend to:
Respond in a hostile Try to persuade the Stay and listen as long Walk away.
manner. person to give up his/her as possible.
actively hostile behavior.
___ ___ ___ ___

3. When I observe people in conflicts in which anger, threats, hostility, and

strong opinions are present, I tend to:
Become involved Attempt to mediate. Observe to see what Leave as quickly as
and take a position. happens. possible.

___ ___ ___ ___

2006/7 3.5 Handout 4-1

Army Family Team Building Level III

Conflict Management Style Assessment (cont’d.)

4. When I perceive another person is meeting his/her needs at my expense, I am apt to:
Work to do anything I Rely on persuasion Work hard at changing Accept the situation as
can to change the and “facts” when how I relate to that it is.
person. attempting to change person. ___
___ that person. ___
___

5. When involved in an interpersonal dispute, my general pattern is to:

Draw the other person Examine the issues Look hard for a Let time takes its
into seeing the between us as workable course and let the
problem as I do. logically as possible. compromise. problem work itself
out.
___ ___ __
___

6. The quality that I value most in dealing with conflict would be:
Emotional strength Intelligence. Love and openness. Patience.
and security.
___ ___ ___ ___

7. Following a serious altercation with someone I care for deeply, I:

Strongly desire to go Want to go back and Worry about it a lot Let it lie and not
back and settle things work it out-- but not plan to plan to initiate
my way. whatever give-and- initiate further further contact.
take is necessary. contact.
___ ___ ___ ___

8. When I see a serious conflict developing between two people I care about, I tend to:
Express my Attempt to persuade Watch to see what Leave the scene.
disappointment that them to resolve their develops.
this had to happen. differences.
___ ___ ___ ___

9. When I see a serious conflict developing between two people who are relatively
unimportant to me, I tend to:
Express my Attempt to persuade Watch to see what Leave the scene.
disappoint-ment that them to resolve their develops.
this had to happen. differences.
___ ___ ___ ___

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Army Family Team Building Level III

Conflict Management Style Assessment (cont’d.)

10. The feedback that I receive from most people about how I behave when faced
with conflict and opposition indicates that I:
Try hard to get my Try to work out Am easygoing and take a Usually avoid the
way. differences soft or conciliatory conflict.
cooperatively. position.
___ ___ ___ ___

11. When communicating with someone with whom I am having a serious conflict, I:
Try to overpower the Talk a little bit more Am an active listener Usually avoid the
other person with my than I listen. (feeding back works and conflict.
speech. feelings).
___ ___ ___ ___

12. When involved in an unpleasant conflict, I:

Use humor with the Make an occasional quip or Relate humor only Suppress all
other party. joke about the situation or to myself. attempts at humor.
the relationship.
___ ___ ___ ___

13. When someone does something to me (e.g., smokes in a nonsmoking area or

crowds in line in front of me), my tendency is to:
Insist that person look Look the person in the Maintain intermittent Avoid looking directly
me in the eye. eye and maintain eye eye contact. at the person.
contact.
___ ___ ___ ___

14. When someone does something to me (e.g., smokes in a nonsmoking area or

crowds in line in front of me), my tendency is to:
Stand close and make Use my hands and body Stand close to the person Stand back and
physical contact. to illustrate my points. without touching him or keep my hands
her. to myself.
___ ___ ___ ___

15. When someone does something to me (e.g., smokes in a nonsmoking area or

crowds in line in front of me), my tendency is to:
Use strong direct Try to persuade the Talk gently and tell the Say and do nothing.
language and tell the person to stop. person what my feelings
person to stop. are.
___ ___ ___ ___

2006/7 3.5 Handout 4-3