Identify Your Conflict Style — Free 20-Question Assessment
Take the free Conflict Style assessment online. Discover your default conflict approach — competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, or accommodating. 20 questions based on the Thomas-Kilmann model.
What is the Conflict Styles?
The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) is the world's most widely used conflict-style assessment, employed by organizations and mediators globally. Developed by Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann, it identifies five conflict modes based on two dimensions: how assertively you pursue your own needs and how cooperatively you address others'.
The five modes are: Competing (assertive, uncooperative — winning matters most), Collaborating (assertive, cooperative — finding the best solution for everyone), Compromising (moderate on both — splitting the difference), Avoiding (unassertive, uncooperative — sidestepping conflict), and Accommodating (unassertive, cooperative — yielding to others). Each mode is appropriate in certain situations; the goal is versatility.
JobCannon's 20-question Conflict Style Assessment reveals your default conflict profile, the situations where each of your modes serves you well, where your default becomes a liability, and how to develop greater conflict flexibility for more effective professional and personal relationships.
What You'll Discover
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the five Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes?▼
Competing (assertive, win-focused), Collaborating (assertive + cooperative, solution-focused), Compromising (moderate, give-and-take), Avoiding (unassertive, sidestepping), Accommodating (unassertive, yielding). Each mode involves a trade-off between assertiveness and cooperativeness.
Is there a "best" conflict style?▼
No single style is universally best. Competing is appropriate in emergencies; Collaborating is best for complex, high-stakes issues; Compromising works under time pressure; Avoiding suits trivial issues; Accommodating is right when preserving the relationship outweighs the outcome. The goal is using the right mode for each situation.
How does knowing my conflict style help me?▼
Understanding your default mode helps you recognize when it is working against you. Heavy avoiders miss opportunities to advocate for themselves. Heavy competitors damage relationships. Awareness is the first step to choosing more flexible, situationally appropriate responses.
Is the Thomas-Kilmann model scientifically validated?▼
Yes. The TKI has decades of research supporting its reliability and validity for measuring conflict behavior in organizations. It is used by HR professionals, mediators, executive coaches, and organizational psychologists worldwide.
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Discover your Conflict Styles profile. 20 questions, 10 min, free to take.
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