Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)

The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) is the world’s best-selling tool for helping people understand how different conflict-handling styles affect interpersonal and group dynamics—and for empowering them to choose the appropriate style for any situation.

The TKI assesses an individual’s typical behavior in conflict situations and describes it along two dimensions: assertiveness and cooperativeness. It provides detailed information about how that individual can effectively use five different conflict-handling modes, or styles.

Why It’s Popular

The TKI is the world’s best-selling conflict management assessment because it:

  • Facilitates learning to use five practical, situation-specific styles for dealing with conflict effectively (competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating)
  • Helps bring about productive one-on-one and group discussions around conflict
  • Reflects today’s gender, racial, ethnic, age, and job-level diversity in the workplace
  • Is quick (30 items, takes just 15 minutes) and easy to understand

how It Helps

The TKI assessment is ideal for a wide range of applications, including:

Conflict management—to identify different conflict-handling styles and to learn how to choose the appropriate style for any situation
Team building—improves team functioning by helping members reconcile differences and work together more effectively
Leadership development—enhances leaders’ conflict management skills
Performance improvement—helps eliminate barriers to effective performance
Stress reduction—gives employees the capacity and tools to identify and manage workplace stress
Retention—helps employees be successful, improve morale, and stay engaged in order to build a stronger organization and retain the best talent

adapted from: https://www.cpp.com/products/tki/index.aspx

why we use tki

Conflict is both inevitable and too often avoided. Both of those realities cause huge losses - in productivity, in satisfaction, in organizational progress, in financial resources ... The list goes on and on. When used with other tools, the TKI offers a tremendous gift toward helping individuals and groups of all kinds understand, navigate and even embrace the positive presence and good uses of conflict.