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Team Intelligence Toolsa project by Koru Consulting GmbH

Your Conflict Style

The fastest lever in any conflict is you.

With the Conflict Style analysis, you'll discover in just a few minutes which behaviors you tend to fall back on in conflict – and which options you may be underusing. You'll learn when your style helps you, when it may be limiting you, and how to widen your range of options.

Waiting for everyone else to change?

In team conflicts especially, we often hope the others will change. But the most direct starting point is ourselves. You can shape your own behavior consciously – and that may change the dynamics of the conflict, too.

What the analysis gives you

  • Self-awareness, not autopilot: See which patterns shape how you act in conflict – and why you often react the same way.
  • Influence, not helplessness: You can change something right away – without needing anyone else to play along.
  • Clarity, not blind spots: Learn when your conflict styles help you, where they hold you back, and which new options you can develop.

The solution: what the analysis delivers

  • Which conflict styles dominate for you.
  • What strengths your patterns have and when they help.
  • What risks they bring (when they unintentionally escalate conflicts).
  • How to change course – with phrases and practical prompts you can use right away.

Why it matters

Many conflicts stay stuck because both sides run their default strategy. Once you know your patterns, you can:

De-escalate conversations before they tip over

Spot misunderstandings earlier

Set clearer boundaries without becoming rigid

Move from positions to solutions faster

How it works

1

Answer questions (a few minutes)

You respond to short situations and statements – quick, no long reading.

2

Get your result

You get your conflict styles, with a short explanation and tips for using them day to day.

3

Pull concrete levers

You get practical ideas for using your patterns so conversations become more constructive – even if others aren't on board yet.

Ready to discover your conflict style?

25 quick questions, just a few minutes. Your result, with concrete ideas for your day-to-day work, arrives by email.

Frequently asked questions

We keep having disagreements in our team – what can we do about it?
The thing that's always right, and always simple, is to start with yourself. That means understanding how each of you typically reacts under conflict or tension. The Conflict Styles test shows your style, the one that kicks in automatically under pressure, competing, giving in, avoiding, compromising or collaborating. None of them is wrong, but if you always end up in the same dynamic, it's worth a closer look at how to break out of it. It's also worth checking which escalation stage you're at.
What conflict styles are there, and which one is mine?
Five typical response patterns: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating. The test shows you which of these are your typical patterns. This is well-researched – our test is based on the dual-concern model by Blake & Mouton and the conflict research of Afzalur Rahim.
Does my conflict style change, or is it fixed forever?
It's your default mode under pressure, not a label for life. Once you know it, you can consciously steer against it when a situation calls for a different pattern. That's the most important step. And with practice and reflection, you can decide for yourself how you want to react in these situations.
Is there a 'best' conflict style?
No. Every pattern has its strength – it depends on the situation. If you only have one pattern, some situations will be harder for you. What's interesting is that the pattern closest to our own is often the one we believe is the best one. There's a lot to learn about ourselves in that.
How reliable is a self-test like this?
It's based on self-assessment, so it's a good first mirror, but not a scientifically verified lab result. It shows a tendency, a pattern, but it's not a verdict. Because the beautiful thing about us humans is, we can change. What matters for trusting the test, though, is this, it's based on the dual-concern model by Blake & Mouton and the conflict research of Afzalur Rahim.
What do I do with my result in the team?
It helps most when you compare your results in the team – whether that's your conflict style or your escalation stage. Then have an open conversation about who reacts how and why. It's also interesting to hear what came up for your colleagues. From there, you can define your own ground rules for future disagreements or differing views. And then revisit and check in regularly, ideally every 8 weeks at first, then at longer intervals.

Grounded in research, not a personality game

The conflict style analysis draws on established research models of how people handle conflict, in particular the work of Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton and of M. Afzalur Rahim. On this theoretical foundation, we developed an independent reflection tool that helps you recognize your preferred conflict styles and discover new options.

No pigeonholes

No fixed personality types. Just ideas for handling conflict more consciously.

Show the research behind it
  • Blake & Mouton (1964): The Managerial Grid
  • Rahim (1983): A Measure of Styles of Handling Interpersonal Conflict
  • Rahim (2002): Toward a Theory of Managing Organizational Conflict