Which are four common conflict resolution styles, and when is mediation most appropriate?

• A. Competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating; mediation is appropriate when parties cannot reach agreement and need a neutral facilitator.
• B. Competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding; mediation is never needed.
• C. Negotiating, mediating, adjudicating, arbitrating; mediation is appropriate in all disputes.
• D. Accommodating, avoiding, coercive, delegating; mediation is only for minor disputes.

Answer: (A)

Understanding how conflict can be approached through different styles is key. The five common conflict resolution styles are competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. Each style serves a different aim: competing seeks a win-lose outcome, collaborating looks for a solution that satisfies all sides, compromising finds a middle ground, avoiding postpones the conflict, and accommodating prioritizes the other party’s needs to preserve the relationship. Mediation fits best when parties can’t reach an agreement on their own and a neutral facilitator is helpful to improve communication, explore options, and help craft a voluntary settlement. This is especially useful when there’s an ongoing relationship, power imbalances, or strong emotions that make direct negotiation challenging. The other choices mix up processes or describe mediation in ways that aren’t accurate—for example, listing processes as styles, or suggesting mediation is never needed or only for minor disputes.