Discover Your Conflict Style: Are You a Shark, Owl, Fox, Turtle, or Teddy Bear?

While we're all capable of using different conflict approaches, most of us tend to rely more heavily on one or two modes—often without realizing when a different approach might work better.

Take this 5-minute assessment to discover which conflict styles you favor most and get strategies for adapting your approach to different situations and stakeholders.

Think about times when you and another person want different things or disagree about something. How do you typically handle these situations?

Below are pairs of statements about different ways people respond to disagreements. For each pair, choose the statement that sounds more like what you would do.

Even if neither option feels exactly like you, pick the one that's closer to your usual approach.

Why This Matters For Product People

As a product professional, you're already thoughtful about problem-solving and stakeholder management. But have you ever wondered why:

Some stakeholders seem impossible to reach consensus with
Certain team dynamics feel frustrating despite everyone's good intentions
You connect easily with some colleagues but struggle with others
What feels like clear communication to you doesn't land the same way with everyone

Understanding your own conflict preferences helps you recognize that others might have completely different approaches to problem-solving and decision-making. When you know whether you're naturally more of a Shark, Owl, Fox, Turtle, or Teddy Bear, you can better understand why certain interactions feel smooth while others feel like you're speaking different languages.

What You'll Get In Your Results

Your conflict mode profile showing your natural preferences
Insights into how others might approach problems differently than you
Understanding of why some relationships feel easier than others
Strategies for adapting your communication style to work better with different personality types

About This Assessment

This is the actual Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument—the most widely used conflict assessment in professional settings since 1974. While it's typically done as a paper quiz in leadership development programs, I've built it into my website to make it convenient and accessible online.

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