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Copyright 1998 - 2009

Thomas Kilmann model - questionnaire to help people identify their preferred style in coping with conflict.

Thomas and Kilmann developed the questionnaire that is referred to as the Thomas Kilmann model.

Personal style in dealing with conflict:

There is some evidence that people develop certain preferred styles in dealing with conflict (Thomas & Kilmann 1974) and with the anxiety engendered by conflict situations. These styles are dependent on personality factors, experiences, cultural background, family preferences, school training etc. Often these ways of coping are used out of our conscious awareness.

A manager's preferred way of dealing with conflict may or may not be the most appropriate way depending on the situation. The best way to maximise one's success rate in using an appropriate coping style is to be aware of as many styles as possible and be flexible in being able to use the style that best fits the situation (again, having skills or knowledge combined with personality attributes). For some people this flexibility is a natural part of their personality makeup; for others who use one style or method of coping almost exclusively it can be difficult for them to achieve a more open or flexible style in dealing with conflict.

Thomas and Kilmann developed a questionnaire to help people identify their preferred style in coping with conflict. The styles or methods of dealing with conflict are based on two dimensions of behaviour: how assertive or unassertive a person's behavioural response to conflict is and how cooperative or uncooperative the person's response is. You can see in the accompanying matrix diagram of the Thomas Kilmann model how the different (following) styles relate to each other.

High	Competing		Collaberating
Asssertiveness Scale		Compromising
Low	Avoiding		Accommodating
	Low	Co-operativeness Scale	High

• Competition is a style based on being high in assertiveness and low on cooperation. It is based on the desire to meet one's own needs and concerns at the expense of other interests. As it is a power-oriented style those who use it gain cooperation by force and will engender defensive reactions in others. It can be seen in the workplace in overbearing people who insist on always getting their own way as in the example given earlier in this article. Those who would use it repeatedly are bullies. However, there are times when it is the appropriate method to use when used judiciously. For example, this it is appropriate if someone has to protect him/herself or others from those who would tend to take advantage of non-competitive behaviour (eg.bullies).



• Avoidance is characterised by uncooperative and unassertive behaviour. The conflict is not addressed and both parties could be seen to be or actually are indifferent to the other's needs and concerns. While this can be a useful temporary technique while tempers are heated or when there is insufficient information to proceed, it is rarely a good permanent solution and can result in situations like the earlier cited example of the 50 year old bullying manager. As a permanent situation it is useful only when the possibility of reaching a resolution is very low or when it is better that others (perhaps the manager in the case of a conflict between two employees) resolve the conflict.



• Accommodation is characterised by cooperative and unassertive behaviour. The other party's needs and concerns are placed above one's own even if one has very strong needs and concerns in the conflict. This is an appropriate coping style if one party is not as concerned as the other or when one person has a great deal more power than the other. This is a commonly used coping method when dealing with young children when their needs often have to be met by parents who have to set their own needs aside.



• Collaboration involves the maximum use of cooperation and assertiveness. This style aims to satisfy the needs and concerns of both parties. Ross (1982) points out that this style:
  
  1) acknowledges that there is a conflict
  
  2) identifies and acknowledges each party's needs, concerns and goals
  
  3) identifies alternative resolutions and their consequences for each person
  
  4) lists the alternatives that meet the needs and concerns and accomplishes the goals of each party and finally
  
  5) implements the alternative ed and evaluating the results
  
  This style requires more commitment, more time and energy than the other styles and is therefore often not used when people think that they have to "get on with it" in terms of projects and other team tasks. However it is actually all the more appropriate in many workplace situations in which the resolution, eg. the way forward in projects, will need the ongoing support of all parties.



• Compromise is midway between all of the other styles and achieves only a partial fulfillment of the needs, concerns and goals of each person or party involved. For example, it only partly achieves the benefits of collaboration, but helps avoid some of the pitfalls of the other styles such as avoidance or competition. This is a suitable style when a temporary solution is sought, when the parties are only moderately invested in their interests or when there is strong commitment to mutually exclusive goals and it is unlikely that either party will be able to dominate the other.

• to be able to assess the kind of conflict one is faced with and the type of solution it requires
• so that the person faced with conflict resolution is aware of his/her own tendency to use a particular style and to be able to either use it or set it aside according to the needs of the situation