Which of the following lists the five conflict management styles identified by the Thomas-Kilmann Instrument?

• A. Forcing, Yielding, Negotiating, Meditating.
• B. Collaborating, Escalating, Compromising, Avoiding.
• C. Competing, Collaborating, Compromising, Avoiding, Accommodating.
• D. Agreeing, Negotiating, Conciliating, Competing.

Answer: (C)

The five conflict management styles in the Thomas-Kilmann framework are defined by two dimensions: assertiveness and cooperativeness. The five styles are competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. Competing means pushing for your own solution and aiming to win, with high assertiveness and low cooperation. Collaborating involves working together to find a solution that satisfies both sides, high on both dimensions. Compromising sits in the middle, offering give-and-take to reach a quick, acceptable outcome. Avoiding means sidestepping the issue, with low assertiveness and low cooperation. Accommodating is yielding to others’ wishes, high on cooperation but low on assertiveness. This exact set of five is what the question asks for, so it’s the best answer.

Other lists include terms like meditating or escalating, or use words like negotiating or conciliating that aren’t the official TKI five. They don’t capture the established five styles the model identifies, so they don’t fit as well.