Many people view conflict as something that needs to be eliminated. They associate conflict with negative emotions. When individuals from different backgrounds work side by side for forty plus hours each week, disagreements are bound to occur. The good news is that conflict is neutral, and its “badness” is a result of how well it is managed. Conflict can also prove to be beneficial at work.
The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI Assessment) is based on two underlying dimensions: assertiveness (extent employees attempt to get their needs met in a conflict situation) and cooperativeness (extent employees try to satisfy the needs / concerns of others in the same conflict situation). The assessment measures employees’ usage of five conflict modes (Accommodating, Avoiding, Collaborating, Competing and Compromising) to determine if they are utilizing the modes too little, too much or just the right amount. Employees are encouraged to refrain from using their go-to conflict modes by practicing utilizing their often-ignored conflict modes.
The TKI Assessment is extremely reliable. Employees complete a brief, online assessment by responding to thirty pairs of items. The item pairs were designed to be equal in social desirability. This allows individuals to simply respond to the items instead of being concerned about how they want to appear to themselves or to others (known as social desirability response). The design has reduced the bias of this assessment to 17%!
The associated training workshop on the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument allows employees to interpret their TKI Assessment results, distinguish between the five conflict modes and uses of each, formulate the best approach to resolve conflict based on a situation’s eight attributes and practice using their lowest scored conflict modes through role-playing in a safe environment.
Click on the link to read more about the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
Contact us if your company is interested in utilizing the TKI Assessment and associated training. We welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation.
