CBN Negotiation Styles & Behavioral Profiles — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which negotiation style is characterized by high assertiveness and low cooperativeness, pursuing one's own goals at the expense of the other party's interests?
- Accommodating
- Avoiding
- Competing (Correct answer)
- Compromising
Correct answer: Competing
The competing style (also called distributive or win-lose) prioritizes achieving personal goals regardless of the impact on the relationship or the counterpart's outcome. It is high in assertiveness and low in cooperativeness, appropriate when the issue is critical and the relationship is less important.
Question 2: The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument identifies five negotiation/conflict styles. Which style involves low assertiveness AND low cooperativeness?
- Competing
- Avoiding (Correct answer)
- Accommodating
- Collaborating
Correct answer: Avoiding
Avoiding is characterized by withdrawing from or postponing the negotiation, reflecting low concern for both personal goals and the relationship. It is appropriate when the issue is trivial, timing is wrong, or when cooling down is needed before re-engaging.
Question 3: A counterpart consistently makes large concessions quickly, prioritizes harmony, and rarely pushes back on demands. They are MOST likely exhibiting which negotiation style?
- Collaborating
- Competing
- Accommodating (Correct answer)
- Compromising
Correct answer: Accommodating
The accommodating style is high in cooperativeness and low in assertiveness. These negotiators place relationship preservation above their own substantive goals, often conceding quickly to avoid conflict. While valuable for maintaining trust, over-accommodation can result in unfavorable outcomes.
Question 4: When you identify that a counterpart is using a competing style, the MOST effective adaptive response in an ongoing business relationship is typically to:
- Match their competing style to signal equal resolve
- Switch to an avoiding style to de-escalate pressure
- Shift toward collaboration by surfacing underlying interests and proposing mutual-gain options (Correct answer)
- Accommodate their demands to maintain goodwill for future negotiations
Correct answer: Shift toward collaboration by surfacing underlying interests and proposing mutual-gain options
Mirroring a competing style escalates positional conflict. In an ongoing relationship, the most productive counter is to acknowledge the competitive dynamic and redirect toward interest-based exploration, often revealing options that satisfy both parties better than a positional battle would.
Question 5: Compromising as a negotiation style is BEST characterized as:
- High assertiveness and high cooperativeness — seeking a solution that fully satisfies both parties
- Moderate assertiveness and moderate cooperativeness — each party gives up something to reach a middle ground (Correct answer)
- Low assertiveness and high cooperativeness — yielding to the counterpart's preferences
- High assertiveness and low cooperativeness — pursuing maximum personal gain
Correct answer: Moderate assertiveness and moderate cooperativeness — each party gives up something to reach a middle ground
Compromising sits in the middle of the assertiveness-cooperativeness grid. Both parties trade concessions to split the difference. It is faster than collaborating but may leave value on the table because underlying interests are not fully explored.
Question 6: Which negotiation style is MOST likely to produce creative, durable agreements that fully meet both parties' underlying interests?
- Compromising
- Avoiding
- Competing
- Collaborating (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Collaborating
The collaborating style (high assertiveness + high cooperativeness) involves joint problem-solving to find solutions that genuinely satisfy both parties' needs. It requires the most time and trust but produces integrative outcomes that are more durable because both parties feel their interests were met.
CBN Negotiation Styles & Behavioral Profiles
Which negotiation style is characterized by high assertiveness and low cooperativeness, pursuing one's own goals at the expense of the other party's interests?