“Know thyself,” said Socrates. Today, we might be inclined to instead say: Know thyself, especially in conflict situations.
Indeed, interpersonal conflicts in work teams can often be attributed to personality clashes and a lack of understanding of each individual’s personal style.
The following are two particularly useful tools for enabling the members of a team to better understand their strengths and how they react in conflict situations.
The Thomas-Kilmann Test
The Thomas-Kilmann test allows people to gain awareness of the behaviour they adopt in conflict situations. Consisting of some 30 questions, it takes less than 10 minutes to complete and its results can be determined immediately.
Administered to the members of a team, the test is useful for comparing each person’s style with the styles of the other members and better understanding the interpersonal dynamics at play in the group.
The Thomas-Kilmann test evaluates two core attitudes in conflict situations: affirmation—when an individual seeks to defend his or her own interests—and cooperation—when an individual tries to satisfy the interests of others.
Five conflict-resolution methods result from these two attitudes: competition (pursuing one’s own interests at the expense of others); accommodation (neglecting one’s own interests in favour of other people’s interests); avoidance (not seeking to satisfy either one’s own interests or those of others); collaboration (trying to find a solution that satisfies each person’s interests); compromise (looking to find an acceptable solution for everyone without necessarily completely satisfying each person).
The test enables the team members to understand their dominant behavioural trait in conflict situations and discover other methods that would be worthwhile exploring. For example, a person inclined to compromise might do well to try being more assertive, whereas someone who often resorts to competition could set a goal of listening more to the needs of others.
The Porter Test
The Porter test is a written test on deployment of personality strengths used to evaluate the strengths individuals deploy in relationships with others as well as when they encounter opposition or experience conflict.
Porter—the American psychologist who developed the test—identified a series of behaviours that people adopt in various situations (when things are going well and when they aren’t).
Based on an analysis of the individual results, one of seven colours, each representing major behavioural tendencies, is attributed to the respondents:
• Red = inclined toward action
• Blue = inclined toward the human aspects and relationships
• Green = inclined toward reflection
• Rainbow = inclined toward teamwork
• Blue-red = equally inclined toward action and relationships
• Red-green = equally inclined toward action and reflection
• Green-blue = equally inclined toward reflection and relationships
This test has many possible applications for respondents. However, its greatest potential lies in its use for team development.
It enables one to clearly see the dynamics in a team and identify the sources of conflict or potential conflicts with a fair amount of accuracy. Based on this information, a number of reflection and development activities can be implemented to help the team members evolve.
The Porter test can determine individuals’ dominant behaviours in various situations. However, it is important to understand that people “borrow” behaviours generally associated with other colours. Still, the test can be used to identify at-risk areas and behavioural traps and thereby identify individual improvement and development opportunities.
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