If you care more about the relationship than the issue, what conflict response would you most likely use?

A) Forcing
B) Accommodating
C) Avoiding
D) Compromising
E) Collaborating

Answer: B
Explanation: A) Incorrect. The forcing approach is an attempt to satisfy one's own needs at the expense of others. It is used when the other party is uncooperative. It is used when the issue is much more important than the relationship.
B) Correct. The accommodating approach satisfies the other party's concerns while neglecting one's own. It emphasizes preserving a friendly relationship at the expense of critically appraising issues. It may also result in others taking advantage of you. However, when the relationship is much more important than the issue, it can be effectively used.
C) Incorrect. Avoiding is used when both the issue and the relationship are unimportant. It sidesteps the conflict and avoids a solution. In the long term, it causes frustration for others because problems never seem to be resolved.
D) Incorrect. The compromising response is intermediate between assertiveness and cooperativeness. It is an attempt to obtain partial satisfaction for both parties?both are asked to make sacrifices to obtain a common gain. It is used when the relationship and issue are both moderately important.
E) Incorrect. The collaborating approach is an attempt to address fully the concerns of both parties. This should be implemented when both the issue and relationship are very important because it is the only win-win strategy.