It is best to temporarily avoid the issue to gain composure or to gather information. Accommodating to meet the goals of the other party is appropriate when the issue is more important to someone else, when the person is more powerful, or when the person is wrong. This lose-win situation promotes harmony and gains credits that can be used at a later date. Collaborating promotes effective problem solving because both parties try to find mutual agreeable solutions. In this win-win situation, problems are identified, alternatives are addressed, and agreeable solutions are reached.
Competition is power driven.
Although this approach is a win-lose situation, it is appropriate when a quick or unpopular decision has to be made. Compromising combines assertiveness and cooperation. This lose-lose situation is effective when expedient answers are needed and both parties are of equal power. A common form of conflict resolution is positional bargaining, a form of give and take, in which proposals are made, then negotiated. An alternative to position bargaining, based on merits of the issue, is principle negotiation.