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Multidisciplinary perspectives on intercultural conflict 101

In his process model, Thomas (1976) proposes that a conflict episode com-
prises five main events from the viewpoint of one of the parties: frustration, con-
ceptualization, behaviour, other’s reaction, and outcome, with the outcome of a
given episode setting the stage for subsequent episodes on the same issue. Tho-
mas’ specification of the behavioural element in this process is particularly well
known. He applied Blake and Mouton’s (1964) classic managerial grid to the
study of conflict, arguing that people may hold different orientations towards a
given conflict, depending on the degree to which they want to satisfy their own
concerns and the degree to which they want to satisfy the other’s concerns. He
identified five orientations: neglect, appeasement, domination, compromise and
integration (see Figure 1). Neglect reflects avoidance or indifference, in that no
attention is paid to the concerns of either self or other. Appeasement reflects a
lack of concern for self, but a high concern for the other, whilst domination rep-
resents a desire to win at the other’s expense. Compromise is intermediate be-
tween appeasement and domination, and is often the least satisfactory for the
two parties. Integration represents a problem-solving orientation where there is
a desire to integrate both parties’ concerns.

– Appeasement – Integration
High

Desire to – Compromise
satisfy
other’s
concern
– Neglect – Domination

Low

Low Desire to satisfy own High
concern

Figure 1. Thomas’ ‘grid’ framework of conflict management orientations
(Based on Thomas 1976: 900)

A number of different terms are now in widespread use for these five orien-
tations, and these are shown in Table 1. In the rest of this chapter, the terms used
are: collaborative, competitive, compromising, accommodative and avoiding.