Chapter 9: Personality and Conflict Styles
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, we will:
- Define personality.
- Identify components of the Big 5 Personality Trait theory.
- Recognize the relationship between personality traits and approaches to conflict.
- Review cognitive and personal-social dimensions that impact our perceptions and relationships.
- Summarize Janie Harden Fritz’s types of problematic bosses, coworkers, and subordinates.
- Compare the ABC styles of conflict management.
In this chapter, we will examine personality and the how the stable traits impact our interactions with others. We will focus on the Big 5 trait theory of personality and how our personality traits can foster positive (or negative) interpersonal interactions during conflict. We will also examine cognitive and personal-social dimensions of the self and how these qualities impact our relationships. Using Harden Fritz’s typologies, we will examine how deviant workplace behaviours can become stable patterns of interactions. Finally, we will explore an alternate to the Thomas-Kilmann model – the ABC styles of conflict management.
