A conflict management style is the pattern of behaviour an individual develops in response to conflict with others such as differences of opinion. Conflict management styles tend to be consistent over time. Conflict management is the skill needed to resolve different situations.
The field of conflict management, conflict resolution, or conflict transformation (there is a lack of consensus in naming convention) has since the 1970s sought to teach people to be more conscious of their conflict management style. The premise behind this is that greater awareness of their style by individuals enables them to make better choices of how to respond. Someone who knows they have a tendency to avoid conflict, for example, might in some circumstances choose a different and perhaps more appropriate response.
The most widely used tool for this is a conflict style inventory, typically a short questionnaire filled out by a user, with interpretation of the scores given in writing or by an instructor. The point is not to categorize the user, but rather to give him or her a framework in which to assess responses and options. Conflict style inventories in wide use today include the Thomas Kilmann and Style Matters: The Kraybill Conflict Style Inventory