Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode

1/24/19

        Module two proved to be somewhat uncomfortable for me.  The reason being is fact that we addressed something I have always been uncomfortable with: conflict.  As an introvert and the type of person who always seeks compromise, I knew this module would prove difficult. When the Texoil negotiation began I quickly realized that my partner and I were in a conflicting situation.  He wanted a much higher offer than I was able to give him.  Luckily, I suspected this might occur and had prepared for such a situation just in case.  What I found to be the most powerful conflict resolver was simply talking out the situation.  In order to better understand my partners perspective, I asked opened ended questions such as what, why, when, where, and how.  This really helped get us to the accepted offer where Texoil would own 75% equity in the company and he would own 25% of the company.  

        After the Texoil negotiation I then took the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument Assessment.  My results fell right in line with my personality type.  I scored 3 for competing, 0 for collaborating, 9 for compromising, 11 for avoiding, and 9 for accommodating.  What I learned from this assessment is the proper uses for each category and by scoring low on what I would consider “extrovert” categories, I was able to gain insight how an introvert like myself could incorporate these behaviors into my negotiations so I can still maintain an upper hand.  One worry I had is what if my partner is an extrovert (say someone who scores high in the competing category) where I am an introvert scoring high in the avoiding category.  This seems like a mismatch to me. While I may have given myself a bias, I now know how to counter this difference successfully and still have an effective negotiation.

        One of the most interesting documents I read this module was the summary of "Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In".  One negotiation style I really want to focus on is understanding the other parties’ interests both personally and professionally related to the negotiation.  On a personal level this makes me feel good inside and it also makes the other party more apt to work harder to get a deal between us.  Another negotiation style I did not use in the past negotiation but certainly plan on using it moving forward is the use of objective criteria.  I never realized that when interests are directly opposed objective criteria is often used to resolve those differences. I plan to come up with objective criteria and propose if it’s something my partner would even consider.  This behavior would be similar to the orange example where one child cut the orange in half and the other child got first pick of which slice, they wanted.  Now that I have learned what objective criteria is, I realize this is a tactic we often see in trade deals amongst NFL or MLB teams.