Page 322 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

Managing Conflict in the Small Group 305

TABLE 11.2
Avoidance
Conflict styles
Denial and tactics
Topic changes
Noncommittal remarks
Irreverent remarks
Accommodation
Giving up/giving in
Disengagement
Denial of needs
Expression of desire for harmony
Competition
Personal criticism
Rejection
Hostile imperatives
Hostile jokes
Hostile questions
Presumptive remarks
Denial of responsibility
Collaboration
Analytic remarks
Descriptive statements
Qualifying statements
Solicitation of disclosure
Solicitation of criticism
Conciliatory remarks
Support
Concessions
Acceptance of responsibility
Compromise
Appeal to fairness
Suggest a tradeoff
Offer a quick, short-term solution

Accommodation Accommodation, also called appeasement, is a highly cooperative and
passive approach that occurs when you give in to someone else. For instance, in the Accommodation
Speaker Series Committee, after a brief discussion about educational versus entertain- The conflict
ing speakers, Tony said, “I can go along with an educational speaker. I just want to management style in
which one person
avoid this arguing.” Tony wanted to accommodate in order to end the arguments. appeases or gives in
Accommodation is appropriate only when the issue is relatively unimportant to you, to the other.
the relationship is more important than the issue, or the other person’s needs are gen-
uinely more important to you. Don’t accommodate just to end a fight, because the
resentment you carry around with you may eventually poison the relationship anyway.

gal37018_ch11_291_320.indd 305 3/28/18 12:38 PM