Choose the TKI when
- —You need a validated, normed instrument for a formal L&D programme.
- —You want scores that can be compared across a team or against a reference sample.
- —A certified facilitator will debrief the results.
Comparison
The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument is the best-known conflict style test, and it is a commercial product. If you are looking for a free conflict assessment, this page sets the two side by side honestly: what each one measures, where each is stronger, and which to choose for your purpose.
The TKI asks which mode you choose in a conflict situation and how that compares with a reference population. It is well researched, widely recognised, and if your organization needs a comparable score across a team, it is the right tool — buy it, or work with a certified practitioner.
The Conflict Development Profile on this site asks a different question: given how you instinctively behave, what should you practise next? It reports a disposition rather than a percentile, then builds a development plan from your strengths, your working context, and the difficulties you name yourself.
It is not a licensed or normed instrument, and it is not a copy of the TKI. It is a practitioner tool written from mediation and dialogue facilitation work in community, organizational and international settings.
Side by side
| Thomas-Kilmann (TKI) | Conflict Development Profile (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it reports | Five conflict-handling modes — competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating — scored on assertiveness and cooperativeness. | A primary and secondary disposition (Distancer, Harmonizer, Bargainer, Puzzler), plus strengths, sector, practitioner track, named challenges and a development plan. |
| Purpose | Awareness of situational style, widely used in organizational and team training. | Practitioner development: what to practise next as a mediator, facilitator, negotiator or leader. |
| Cost | Commercial. Bought per report, often delivered through a certified facilitator. | Free. No account, no payment, no email required to see your results. |
| Length | Around 30 forced-choice pairs; usually 15 minutes or less. | Four parts across roughly 15 minutes, including your own account of what you find hard. |
| Output format | A normed report comparing your scores with a reference sample. | A written profile on screen: narrative, exercises, and matched handouts. No norms or percentile ranking. |
| Validation | Decades of published research and normative data behind it. | Built from 25 years of field practice. Not psychometrically normed, and not a substitute for a validated instrument where one is required. |
| Best for | HR and L&D programmes that need a recognised, comparable instrument. | Individuals who want a usable read on their conflict habits and a concrete next step, at no cost. |
TKI and Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument are trademarks of their respective owners. This comparison is independent, describes the TKI from its publicly documented design, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by its publisher.
Choosing
Questions
The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument is a commercial instrument published by Myers-Briggs Company and is bought per report, so there is no official free version. Sites offering a free TKI are usually unlicensed imitations. The Conflict Development Profile on this site is a different, freely available assessment written from mediation practice — not a copy of the TKI.
The TKI places your behaviour on two axes, assertiveness and cooperativeness, and reports how much you use five conflict-handling modes: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. It is widely used in organizational training and has decades of use behind it.
It reports a primary and secondary disposition — Distancer, Harmonizer, Bargainer, Puzzler — but then goes further than style: it adds your strength cluster, the sector and practitioner role you work in, the challenges you name yourself, practice exercises, and matched free handouts. It is designed for practitioner development rather than for scoring a team on a grid.
If you need a validated, normed instrument for organizational reporting, purchase the TKI or work with a certified practitioner. If you want a free, practical read on how you handle conflict and what to work on next as a mediator, facilitator, negotiator or leader, start with the Conflict Development Profile.
Yes, and many people do. The five TKI modes describe what you choose in a given situation; the disposition and development plan here describe the habit underneath it and what to practise. They answer different questions.
Fifteen minutes, free, and the full written profile appears on screen at the end.