Conflict Animals Deluxe Set

This activity deals with Conflict Styles in teams. Mike Anderson, my co-author on my upcoming book, Setting the Conflict Compass, a Facilitator's Guide to Activities for Conflict Resolution and Prevention, introduced this activity to us. It takes the concepts of conflict behaviors of animals and compares it to the conflict behaviors of those you work with.

The Deluxe Set includes 12 parts:

-Turtle (withdraw)–Withdraws from the conflict (hides until it is safe to emerge)
-Shark (force)—Forces and tries to make opponents accept his/her
-Bear (smooth)—Avoids the conflict when possible
-Owl (problem solver)—Known throughout children’s books as the wise old owl…the owl views conflicts as problems to be solved, confronts, seeking solutions that will satisfy both parties
-Rabbit—Runs and hides from any kind of conflict.
-Bull—hits the issue head-on when provoked. Certain triggers ignite anger.
-Lion—Very proud, works within a group, is King of the jungle. Another metaphor to work with is the “cowardly lion”, those that tuck their tail and run when faced with conflict.
-Mouse—Very timid, runs from conflict.
-Panther—Slinks around in the background, stalks his prey and pounces for the kill.
-Chicken—Everyone has heard the phrase, “You’re just being a Chicken!”, referring to someone who is shying away from a situation or opting out because they are scared. Chickens tend to flee from conflict and frighten easily.
-Elephant—The strongest animal on earth, has an amazing memory, yet when faced with small restrictions (a rope around their foot) it paralyzes them from moving forward.
-Horse—Can be tamed to do whatever their manager wants them to do. Very loyal when treated properly. When faced with conflict it rears back and attempts to protect itself.