Conflict management

Part 4/4: Can the TKI model help with internal conflict? Ralph H. Kilmann, co-author of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI^®), shows which mode works best

Part 3/4: Using a Big Picture model, Ralph H. Kilmann, co-author of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI^®), shows how to evaluate and manage conflict.

Part 2/4: Ralph H. Kilmann, co-author of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI^®), tries alternative TKI questions to get the true picture about the avoiding culture in organizations.

Get in-depth insights from Ralph H. Kilmann, co-author of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI^®), on the nuances of using and interpreting the TKI instrument in this four-part blog series.

New research sends clear message to team leaders

Business psychology experts on leadership and people development in organizations

Our consultants share the workplace trends and topics they’re hearing about

Effective conflict management is a pillar of high-performing organizations

In this post we explore practical strategies for improving team communication and recommend tips to improve how team members interact on the job.

There are three types of conflict that people experience at work. Fortunately, HR professionals, leadership consultants, and executive coaches can help leaders and employees improve their conflict resolution skills with the FIRO-B^® assessment.

Did you know that interpersonal behaviors can be measured in an objective way? Through the FIRO-B® assessment, HR professionals and leadership consultants can check how well a person’s behaviors cultivate inclusion and success in the workplace.

How can MBTI personality type help strengthen relationships? Do people with the same type get along better? Listen to this episode of The Myers-Briggs Company Podcast to find out! 

The world has been flattened by technology and working across county and cultural borders is now the norm. But can you use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment across borders? Here’s what you should know.  

Inclusion in the workplace gives people a voice and drives performance. And the FIRO-B assessment can help your people understand how their interpersonal behaviors are tied to company culture and inclusivity.

New research and data shows how different personality types approach conflict. But what does it mean for Introverted types? 

Research shows that Introverted types handle conflict differently that those preferring Extraversion. Here’s how…

Awareness of different approaches to conflict could help multi-generational workforces understand each other and work together better. 

Is lack of conflict a sign of dysfunction? And what do people feel about conflict today? 

Paying closer attention to employee needs is the way to make remote, in-office, and hybrid teams function better

Conflict can be positive. New data and tips help you learn how to manage it.

Learn the types and causes of conflict to be better prepared in how you manage conflict 

If conflict management is something you dread, here’s how to start turning it around

How can conflict management save organizations money?

The Myers-Briggs Company is launching a new podcast about psychology, personality, work life, and how to get the best from life. 

If not, you might be part of a hybrid strategy that’s about to fail.

As employees return to the office, they’re expecting more flexibility in their social contracts with employers. How can HR help?

How can we help you reach better resolutions?

Change your approach to conflict and you can change the outcome

In business, human dynamics is rarely considered a top priority. Katy Lyne explains why this is a serious problem.

Betsy Kendall explores the different conflict styles and how they can be used most effectively. 

Leaders are quick, decisive, and know what they want; they aren’t afraid to make unpopular decisions and they can be fiercely competitive. This might be a somewhat old-fashioned view of leadership, but new research by OPP suggests there is more than a grain of truth here.

Visits to our Personality Matters blog were at an all-time high in 2014, and we covered a wide range of topics in our weekly posts. Over the last 12 months we've talked about the best MBTI-based books and the various resources available for L&D teams. We’ve promoted Movember, and we’ve commented on the Paul Flowers furore. We've also continued to thrive as thought leaders in a diverse range of workplace psychology issues, from recruitment and assessment centres to polarity management. But what are the top five posts that readers have returned to again and again?

In the second of our blog posts looking at 20 invaluable books about MBTI^® and type, we review another ten titles that have impressed MBTI practitioners or been a key support in their work with the MBTI assessment. As with the first batch, the books featured here are listed in no particular order, and comments are from individual reviewers who responded to our request for reviews on the Linked In group OPP Qualified Professionals.

In Act 1 of my blog posts marking 40 years of the TKI, I described the circumstances surrounding the development of the instrument. In this continuation of the story I’ll explain how ongoing research and validation enabled it to become the world’s best-selling conflict management tool.

Understanding personality type helps us see how our minds are wired - how we like to get energised, take in information, make decisions, and orient ourselves to the outer world. Understanding interpersonal needs gives us insight into another aspect of our personality - what motivates our behaviour in regard to how much interaction we want with others.

"While I don’t recall if there was a single moment, an epiphany of sorts, at some point Ken and I must’ve said out loud: 'Let’s develop a new instrument to measure the five conflict-handling modes'..." Ralph Kilmann recalls the origins of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument in the first of two blog posts celebrating 40 years of the TKI.

Few things in life are free – but OPP has some really cool free resources to support you in your work! To help celebrate our 25 years in the business, we’ve taken a trawl through the various goodies available for zero outlay on our website. They range from white papers and feedback materials to fun quick guides and infographics – many of which can also be found on our practitioner downloads page.

Our guest blogger Joanne Weston, ICF Associate Certified Coach and MBTI^® practitioner, shares some practical tips for using the MBTI tool cross-culturally.

Having blogged on the theme of leadership through the last quarter of 2012, OPP presents 10 top tips for keeping leaders in top condition during 2013 and beyond.

Guest blogger Kaveh Mir of Deep Values Coaching assesses the impact of conflict on organisations when senior leaders are at war. Workplace conflict, no matter how small, tends to divide individuals into distinct factions, much like nations or alliances in a war – especially when these factions are allied under one leader. Many of the differences that arise in the workplace can be seen as ‘turf wars’: that is, employees will come into conflict over responsibility, recognition, credit or blame. One party perceives that another party is infringing on their turf; the first party fires verbal shots, and war is engaged. Those outside the front lines choose sides, opting to stand behind one party or the other.

Our guest blogger Julian Evans, mediation expert at law firm Morgan Cole, considers the general context of mediation in the UK, why it is increasingly being considered a good option for resolving conflict, and how psychological interventions such as the TKI can help in the process.

Conflict is essential for powering change in an organisation. It is a catalyst for the evolution - revolution, even - that drives success.

In a world of conflict, is it too ambitious to imagine that the TKI model can shed light on areas of political confrontation?

Defusing high-intensity conflicts and raising empathy between parties.

How to make bad behaviour unacceptable in the workplace.

Assessment tools must address potential social desirability response bias if they are to be considered credible.

By seeing your assumptions face-to-face, you have the chance to revise them, which will surely inspire you to change your beliefs or modify your behaviour.

The particular conflict modes used during each step of problem management have a great bearing on organisational success.

Correlating the MBTI with the TKI assessment shows that certain personality traits predispose people to certain conflict modes.

There are ways to deal with conflict that can not only diffuse the situation, but turn a negative into a positive.