Kenneth Thomas

Background

About Kenneth Thomas

Ken Thomas has made a career of identifying meaningful challenges that face managers and then providing new solutions for dealing with them. His work combines highly respected academic research with practical tools for training and consulting. His longest-running interest has been in conflict management, where he has an international reputation for his research and training materials. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), which he designed with Ralph Kilmann, has sold over six million copies and is available in many languages (including two Chinese versions). The TKI is available through CPP, Inc.(publishers of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and a world-wide network of distributors, including OPP, Ltd. in Europe. He has also developed booklets that support TKI applications for individual skill building and team building. For some time now, Ken's other interest has been the intrinsic rewards that power employee engagement. His book, Intrinsic Motivation at Work: What Really Drives Employee Engagement (co-published by Berrett-Koehler and ASTD), is now in its second edition. With Walt Tymon (Villanova University) he has also published the Work Engagement Profile (WEP), which measures employee engagement and is used in leadership training, executive coaching, and organization change interventions. The WEP is available through CPP and OPP as well. Ken has delivered workshops on conflict management and employee engagement in various executive programs, made presentations to corporate boards and top management teams, and served as faculty for the National Association of Corporate Directors. He has also spoken at a large number of professional organizations for trainers, change agents, and HR executives and has written applied articles for their newsletters and magazines. He has also partnered with the New West Institute-and early-adopter consulting firm that uses his intrinsic motivation materials in its change and executive coaching applications. Specialties: Conflict-management skill-building for individuals, teams, consultants, and trainers; employee engagement diagnostics and skill-building for managers, consultants, trainers, and executive coaches.