Here is a far-reaching question: What causes conflict? In particular, does conflict largely stem from differences within and between people? Or does conflict primarily arise from the attributes and forces in the situation, that is, the larger system within which people interact with one another? In my experience, I have found that the great majority of the conflict we experience stems from the system -- not the people....
I’d like to comment on the organic relationship between the MBTI and the TKI—between psychological types and conflict modes, and between magnifying differences and resolving differences. In this discussion, I will suggest how educational settings (high schools, colleges, and universities) can provide students with a very powerful experiential exercise—one that vividly demonstrates (1) WHY different students value some careers over others and (2) HOW they can resolve the many conflicting choices before them....
Several decades ago, I developed an experiential exercise for classroom and workshop settings in order to accelerate people's understanding and internalization of the five modes. I first assess the conflict modes of 20 to 50 participants, without their scoring their results. I do that for them so they won't see their high or low modes....
The culture of a family, community, or organization partially determines whether a given conflict mode (particularly collaborating) can be used effectively. In this discussion, I will briefly outline how the actual cultural norms can first be identified and then changed into desired norms -- so that all conflict modes can be used effectively....
People often ask me to clarify compromising and collaborating, especially since these two modes involve both people getting their needs met. In particular, people often use the word “compromise” to indicate that they have successfully resolved the matter at hand. The key distinction concerns whose needs get met (and to what extent) as a result of using a particular conflict mode....
People often ask me to spell out the difference between accommodating and avoiding. Or, as some say: "Accommodating is an easy way to avoid, since you can quickly remove yourself from the situation by giving in to the other person. So what’s the difference?" ...
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ian Mitroff and I developed a systematic methodology for uncovering -- and then revising -- the hidden assumptions behind decisions and actions. This same methodology can provide new ways of thinking about and then choosing the right conflict mode for a given situation....
The immediate benefit of taking the TKI and reviewing your results (which includes a personalized report with the online version of the assessment) is AWARENESS: You learn which conflict modes you might be using too much (usually out of habit) and which ones you might be using too little (since you have not been exposed to the many positive uses of your underutilized modes)....
In the 1960s, three instruments assessed the five conflict modes: Blake and Mouton (1964), Lawrence and Lorsch (1967), and Hall (1969). So why did Ken Thomas and I develop a fourth instrument to measure conflict-handling behavior? In the early 1970s, both Ken and I were acutely aware of the potential social desirability response bias in all self-report assessments: The tendency for people to respond to test items in order to look good to themselves or others (whether this bias is conscious or unconscious) versus accurately disclosing their actual behavior or interests....
Many years ago (1975), I published a research study with Ken Thomas, wherein we correlated the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) with the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI). We wanted to see if certain enduring personality traits would predispose people to use certain conflict-handling modes more than others. ...
