Intercultural Conflict Styles Inventory (ICS)

All of the following information is taken from the ICS Facilitator’s Guide and Interpretive Guide. All quotes come from the Facilitator’s Guide.

The ICS was developed by Dr. Mitch Hammer as a statistically validated measure of an individual’s approach to resolving conflict with others. It “is designed to help [people] better understand approaches for dealing with conflict when interacting with others…. The questionnaire is specifically designed to focus on how you communicate under conflict conditions” (p. 14). The understanding that results helps achieve the following outcomes: resolution of disagreements, managing stress, accurate communication, improvement of personal relationships, and assisting in mediation. It can be used with high school students and older who have at least a seventh grade level of English reading and comprehension.

Dr. Hammer identifies two dimensions of style: direct/indirect and emotionally expressive/restrained that are particularly important in conflict. By plotting these along two axes, he then identifies four cultural prototype conflict styles (one in each of the four quadrants). These four styles are: Discussion (direct and emotionally restrained), Engagement (direct and emotionally expressive), Accommodation (indirect and emotionally restrained), and Dynamic (indirect and emotionally expressive).

While the model defines cultural prototypes, Dr. Hammer states that one’s personal style as assessed by the inventory “reflects [one’s] own learned patterns for dealing with disagreements and expressing emotions under conflict conditions. [One’s] conflict style may or may not be similar to the normative approach characteristic in [one’s] primary cultural community” (p. 3). In other words, an individual profile is just that, an individual’s profile. His or her preferred approach to handling conflict may or may not be similar to the norms of the culture he or she identifies with.

Administration of the inventory is fairly simple. It requires purchase of the paper instrument and Interpretive Guide (they come as a packet), one per person, which the client then answers and scores. There are 18 pairs of statements. For each pair, the client divides five points between them. Once completed, the individual has a D/I (direct/indirect) score and an E/R (expressive/restrained) score that they plot on a graph in their Interpretive Guide. Placement on the graph identifies which of the four styles they prefer (Discussion, Engagement, Accommodation, Dynamic).

The Facilitator’s Manual makes the tool easy to use and easy to use well if the facilitator is familiar with using such instruments. It also provides details on the validation statistics. Certification on the ICS is not required, but is offered for those who want more training.