2. The avoiding style, which reflects neither assertiveness nor cooperativeness,
is appropriate when an issue is trivial, when there is no chance of winning,
when a delay to gather more information is needed, or when a disruption
would be costly.
3. The compromising style reflects a moderate amount of both assertiveness
and cooperativeness. It is appropriate when the goals on both sides are
equally important, when opponents have equal power and both sides
want to split the difference, or when people need to arrive at temporary
or expedient solutions under time pressure.
4. The accommodating style reflects a high degree of cooperativeness, which
works best when people realize that they are wrong, when an issue is more
important to others than to oneself, when building social credits for use in
later discussions, or when maintaining cohesiveness is especially important.
5. The collaborating style reflects both a high degree of assertiveness and of
cooperativeness. This style enables both parties to win, although it may
require substantial dialogue and negotiation. The collaborating style is
important when both sets of concerns are too important to be compromised,
when insights from different people need to be merged into an overall
solution, or when the commitment of both sides is needed for a consensus.