---
title: "Conflict management styles"
course: "COMM 180 · Communicate at work"
unit: "Managing conflict and leading"
lesson: 20 of 44
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/communicate-at-work/conflict-management-styles
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Conflict management styles

Lesson 20 of 44 in **Communicate at work** (COMM 180), unit "Managing conflict and leading". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Distinguish conflict management styles, including competing, collaborating, compromising, accommodating, and avoiding using Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model.
- Identify which conflict management style is being used in a scenario.
- Evaluate the likely benefits and risks of a conflict management style.
- Select and justify appropriate conflict management strategies based on workplace situations.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 20 complete: Conflict management styles."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Negotiation basics" (lesson 21 of 44), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/communicate-at-work/negotiation-basics.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Understanding conflict
Next lesson: Negotiation basics