Conflict intelligence and adaptivity
Skilled people read the situation and flex their strategy instead of defaulting to one style. Conflict intelligence is the capacity to choose the fitting response.
Making Conflict Work: Harnessing the Power of Disagreement
6 ideas
Power position shapes strategy
Whether you stand higher, lower, or equal in power changes which tactic works. The right move depends on relative power, not personality.
Seven approaches to conflict
The authors map strategies from pragmatic benevolence to constructive dominance and principled rebellion. Each fits a different power-and-goal configuration.
Adaptivity beats a fixed style
Matching approach to context outperforms always competing or always accommodating. A single default style guarantees frequent mismatches.
Disagreement is a resource
Well-managed conflict produces better decisions and stronger relationships. Suppressing it wastes its productive potential.
Diagnose power and goals first
Before choosing a move, assess interdependence and relative power in the relationship. The diagnosis dictates the tactic.