Selmer Hanson: Understanding the Thomas Kilman Inventory on Conflict Management

Since 1974 Human Resource and Organizational Development consultants, like Selmer Hanson, have been using the Thomas Kilman Inventory on Conflict Management to open discussions on difficult issues that may arise within the workplace. They use the results to engage employees in learning about how people approach conflict resolution and how the different modes of handling conflict can affect personal, group, and organizational dynamics.

Like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator tool, the Thomas Kilman Inventory, TKI is designed to measure how a person will behave during conflict situations. Based on the TKI, an individual will either fall along the assertiveness dimension or the cooperativeness dimension, with five different modes for responding to conflict defined. Each individual has the capability of using all five modes, Competing, Accommodating, Avoiding, Collaborating, and Compromising, but often rely on the same mode based on past success.

The competing mode of the TKI is assertive and uncooperative. An individual that relies on this mode during conflict is known for pursuing his own concerns at the expense of others. You use whatever power you can to win your own position.

Those that fall into the accommodating mode are unassertive and cooperative during conflict. An accommodating individual strives to satisfy the concerns of the other person while neglecting their own concerns. This mode portrays an element of self-sacrificing.

Unassertive and uncooperative individuals fall within the avoiding mode. Those that fall within this mode do not deal with conflict. They don’t pursue their own concerns or those of the other person. Often times they will withdraw themselves completely from threatening situations.

When individual attempt to the work with others to find a solution that fully satisfies all concerns they fall within the collaborating mode of the TKI. An individual that falls within the collaborating mode continues to dig into an issue in order to pinpoint the underlying needs of both themselves and the other person.

Being both moderate in assertiveness and cooperativeness during a conflict means you tend to fall into the compromising mode. The compromising mode’s objective is to find the middle ground, an acceptable solution that is mutually beneficial to both parties.

Knowing where you fall and where your coworkers fall within the five modes of the TKI can help to understand another’s position within a conflict. As a leadership coach, Selmer Hanson can use the information obtained from the TKI to help his clients become better leaders and succeed in their careers.

The Author writes articles for stress management, helping people in need and business field. He has also contributed to Wikipedia, Squidoo and Hubpages. His articles have been published in print as well as online magazines.