The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model Explained: Modes, and Examples

Conflict is unavoidable—whether in the classroom, the workplace, or personal relationships. From team disagreements to leadership challenges, conflict naturally shapes everyday professional interactions, hence making conflict management a core concept in organisational behaviour and psychology. But what matters here is not avoiding conflict, but how it is handled. 

The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model offers a structured way to understand different approaches to managing conflict, explaining why people respond differently to the same conflict—and how those responses influence outcomes. In this blog, we are going to explore the Thomas Kilmann Model in depth, covering its various modes with examples, and understand how assignment helper UK services can assist you in applying different conflict resolution models in psychology assignments.

What is the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model?

Developed by psychologists Ralph Kilmann and Kenneth Thomas in the early 1970s, the model identifies five basic modes of dealing with and managing conflict, differentiated by two dimensions, namely assertiveness and cooperativeness. Assertiveness describes how much the individual attempts to satisfy their own needs and concerns, whereas cooperativeness shows to what extent the individual tries to satisfy the concerns of the other person.

In this conflict model, Thomas Kilmann describe how different levels and balances between assertiveness and cooperativeness between individuals can lead to the various styles of conflict management. Let’s explore these further.

The Five Modes of TKI Conflict Model

1. Competing: High assertiveness + Low cooperativeness

The competing mode is heavily influenced by the need to address one’s own concerns by standing up for one's rights, defending a position which one believes is correct, or simply trying to win. This is often done at the expense of others, ignoring their views and wants, and believing your own view to be superior and more important.

This mode is highly competitive and might lead to people not wanting to work or interact with you in the future, but it is particularly useful in situations of emergency, pressing matters, and high-stakes situations where you have the authority.

For example, a supervisor enforcing company policy strictly during a safety violation, prioritising rules over employee disagreement.

2. Collaborating: High Assertiveness + High Cooperativeness

The collaborating mode involves working with the other individual to find a middle ground in order to fully satisfy the concerns of both. This mode requires work from both parties, by delving into the situation in depth and finding the right resolution by bouncing off constructive ideas and collaborating together. This mode requires time, resources, and mutual trust between the individuals. Although it requires effort, you get creative and fruitful results with collaboration.

For example, a manager and employee openly discuss workload concerns and redesign responsibilities to meet both performance goals and well-being needs.

3. Compromising: Moderate assertiveness + Moderate cooperativeness

This mode is intermediate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness. This involves negotiating with the other party and reaching mutually acceptable solutions that satisfy everyone involved. It is used when both sides have equally important goals and are willing to settle for a middle ground. While it does not fully satisfy either party, compromising helps resolve conflicts quickly and fairly when time or resources are limited. It is often used to resolve heated conflicts or manage moderately important goals that are not worth the effort or potential disruption of a more assertive approach. Although useful for the short term, collaboration techniques are required for long-term concerns.

For example, team members settle on a middle-ground deadline when one wants more time, and the other wants faster delivery.

4. Avoiding: Low assertiveness + Low cooperativeness

This mode involves avoiding the conflict altogether. Low assertiveness and cooperativeness mean both parties either don’t want to or actively choose not to confront the situation, postponing the issue to be dealt with by others or at a later time. Avoiding often occurs in low-priority tasks or trivial matters where the effort or damage of confronting a conflict outweighs the benefits of its resolution. 

For example, A team member chooses not to address a minor disagreement immediately, deciding it is better to avoid escalation until the issue becomes clearer or more relevant.

5. Accommodating: Low Assertiveness + High Cooperativeness

Accommodating involves addressing the concerns of others, while neglecting or sacrificing your own needs or concerns. Unlike avoiding, this mode acknowledges the conflict and puts an end to any tension. This is very useful if you are directly involved in the conflict but don’t want to deal with the situation. It is often used to maintain harmony in situations where avoiding disruption is more important than winning, or also if one realises the other viewpoint is better.

For example, a team member agrees to adopt a colleague’s suggestion to maintain harmony, even though they had a different preference.

These are the Kilmann and Thomas Conflict Styles, highly applicable in studying organisational behaviour and HR management, leadership and team dynamics, education and student collaboration, and personal conflict awareness.

Strengths and Limitations of Thomas Kilmann Model

The model has both pros and cons:

1. Simple and clear to understand and apply

2. High Practical applicability

3. Widely accepted framework

But has:

1. Cultural and contextual constraints

2. Oversimplification of complex conflicts

3. Reliance on self-assessment

How Locus Assignments Can Guide You

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Conclusion

The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model emphasises that no one single style of conflict is universally effective. Knowing when to compete, collaborate, compromise, avoid, or accommodate allows people to react to conflict in a more conscious manner. Conflicts could be an opportunity for better communication, sturdy relationships, and improved outcomes with the flexible use of the model. With complex scenarios and multiple real-life applications, this model can be tricky to apply. So use the Locus Assignments login, and get expert guidance on the same today!

FAQs

1. What are the 5 stages of Thomas-Kilmann's conflict model?

The five stages of Thomas-Kilmann's conflict model are Competing, Collaborating, Compromising, Avoiding, Accommodating.

2. What is the purpose of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model?

The model helps individuals understand their typical behaviors in conflict situations and provide a framework for choosing the most effective conflict-handling.

3. What are the five categories of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument?

The five categories of Thomas-Kilmann's Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) are Competing, Collaborating, Compromising, Avoiding, Accommodating.

4. What is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model scale?

The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model scale uses two dimensions—Assertiveness (pursuing your own concerns) and Cooperativeness (pursuing others' concerns).

About the Author

Dr. Eleanor Hayes is a UK-based psychology academic writer with over eight years of experience in the field of behavioural science and applied psychological research. She has a postgraduate degree in Psychology and works at Locus Assignments, where she helps students understand psychological concepts through clear, well-researched writing set in the context of the real world.