The Conflict Dynamics Profile® (CDP) was created by the Leadership Development Institute at Eckerd College. This tool—available in 360° assessment and self-assessment versions—focuses on specific behavioral responses to conflict. The ultimate goal is to manage, not eliminate, conflict by minimizing the negative impact and maximizing the beneficial aspects (e.g., problem solving, creativity).

The CDP measures the degree to which individuals display behaviors that are

• constructive – move toward problem solving
• destructive – derived from fight-or-flight survival instincts and that either inflame, prolong, and make conflict personal, on one hand, or seek to avoid it, on the other
• active and passive – can be either constructive or destructive

It also looks at hot buttons—behaviors in others that irritate or frustrate the individual enough to provoke conflict, and the extent to which measured behaviors are regarded within the organization as potential career derailers.

The CDP differs from the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) in its high degree of behavioral specificity and the fact that it is a 360° assessment. The more general TKI provides an understanding of an individual’s stylistic approach to conflict: competitive, compromising, collaborative, accommodating, or avoiding. In contrast, the CDP provides feedback on real conflict behaviors, providing a concrete focus for change.

Developed primarily for use by the Center for Creative Leadership® in its Foundations of Leadership Program to assess conflict-resolution behavior as a vital component of leadership, the CDP is increasingly being used to help address conflict in the workplace.