The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument is designed to assess an individual's behavior in conflict situations. Conflict situations are situations in which the concerns of 2 people appear to be incompatible. In such situations, we can describe a person's behavior along two basic dimensions: 1) Assertiveness - the extent to which the individual attempts to satisfy his/her own concern, and 2) Cooperativeness - the extent to which the individual attempts to satisfy other's concerns. These two basic dimensions can be used to define the five specific methods of dealing with conflicts. These five 'conflict-handling' modes are shown below, where Competing refers to 'forcing'; Collaborating to 'problem-solving'; Compromising to 'sharing'; Avoiding to 'withdrawal'; and Accomodating to 'smoothing.'

This instrument can be obtained by purchase from Consulting Psychologists Press (http://www.cpp.com/products/tki/index.asp).

A similar instrument may be accessed in Robbins, S. R. (2002). Self-Assessment Library: Insights Into Your Skills, Abilities, and Interests (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Available from most on-line bookstores for approx. $26.

Revised Date: 03/05/07