TKI Conflict Modes Assessment Paper
1. Identify your favored and least favored conflict modes as assessed by the TKI and summarize what you have learned from the Thomas Kilmann Inventory and course materials about conflict styles.
2. Discuss anything that surprised you or validated expectations about your favored and least favored styles.
3. Think about the emotions you feel in conflict and discuss whether and how you think they align with your conflict style assessment?
4. Reflect on the conflict lessons from your family of origin and discuss how these lessons helped shape your conflict style as an adult.
5. Describe the role you think your social group identities have on your conflict styles.
6. Privately reflect on the role of violence, hostility and contempt in your life and the impact that it has had on your conflict style. Include this reflection in your paper as you are comfortable.
7. Share a sample metaphor that captures how you feel about conflict and reframe it into a more neutral or positive metaphor.
8. Practice each of the five conflict styles several times this week in physically and emotionally safe lower level conflicts and report on the experience. What did it feel like, what different communication patterns did you use, how did others respond, were there unexpected outcomes (positive and negative) and what did you learn from the experience? Let others respond authentically to you, rather than letting them know what you are up to ahead of time. You may share the exercise after the exercise as you like.
9. Draft an action plan of how you hope to expand your conflict style competence going forward.