What’s Your Negotiation Style?

Learn More About Negotiation Styles

Negotiation psychology has been studied extensively since the 1970s, when researchers Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann developed what's now known as the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, a framework that maps how people handle disagreement along two dimensions: how assertive they are about their own needs, and how cooperative they are about the other person's. That model identified five broad styles, competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating, that still form the backbone of most modern negotiation training.

Your negotiation style isn't necessarily fixed. Most people lean on one or two default modes under normal circumstances but shift under pressure, especially when stakes are high or the relationship with the other party matters more than the immediate outcome. A manager negotiating a vendor contract might default to a highly analytical, data-driven style, while the same person negotiating a family disagreement might slide into accommodation to keep the peace.

Understanding your default style matters because each one comes with predictable blind spots. Collaborators can spend too much time searching for consensus when a faster decision would serve everyone better. Competitors can win the individual negotiation while quietly damaging the relationship long-term. Accommodators often under-negotiate for themselves, leaving value on the table because keeping things comfortable feels more urgent than getting a fair deal. Analysts can over-prepare to the point of coming across as inflexible. And avoiders sometimes let problems fester by refusing to engage with them directly, which usually just delays a harder conversation later.

Professional negotiators are trained to recognize their own default style specifically so they can consciously override it when a situation calls for something else. A skilled negotiator knows when to lean into competition, when collaboration will actually produce a better deal, and when it's smarter to walk away from the table entirely rather than force an outcome.

Outside of the boardroom, these same styles show up constantly in everyday life: splitting bills with roommates, negotiating chores with a partner, or figuring out plans with friends who all want something different. Recognizing your pattern in low-stakes situations is often the easiest way to catch it before it plays out in a higher-stakes one.

If self-assessment quizzes like this one are your thing, check out the site's other personality and communication style quizzes covering everything from conflict resolution to leadership styles.

There's no single correct negotiation style, only a style that fits some situations better than others. Take the quiz above to find out which one you default to, and where it might be worth stretching outside your comfort zone.