Handling Conflict And The Conflict Resolution

According to Porter-O’Grady, 2016 et al p 324, our healthcare systems today are at the center of what is considered major change. Much of the change today is directly related to the foundational principles, concepts and associated with complexity in systems and relationships, and an understanding by nurse leader and follower; of what it takes to make meaningful change. Nurse Leaders, registered nurses, advance practice nurses, and other followers, at every level of our organizations must be increasingly aware of meaningful and sustainable changes that improves our healthcare systems (Porter-O’Grady, 2016 et al p 324).

There are five conflict-handling styles: Forcing Style, Collaborating Style, Compromising Style, Avoiding Style and Accommodating Style. The compromising style “refers to behaviors at an intermediate level of cooperation and assertiveness. (Hellriegel, Slocum pg. 392) ” The person using is style tries to meet a goal by give-and-take. The accommodating style “refers to cooperative and unassertive behavior. (Hellriegel, Slocum pg. 393) ” The person using this style tries to accomplish a goal by using unselfish acts that will promote cooperation in others by complying with their wishes. The collaborating style “refers to high levels of cooperative and assertive behavior. (Hellriegel, Slocum pg. 391) ” The person using this style is using a win-win approach to working with others and handling conflict. When the CEO of General Hospital, Mike Hammer first attempted to control physician-driven cost he used the collaborating style by trying to convince the Director of

Implementing a change in practice within these environments can produce anxiety or fear of failure in nurses, leading to a resistance to change. Several studies (Bozak, 2003; Lehman, 2008; Spetz, Burgess & Phibbs, 2012) expounded the need for a concise plan and clear communication between nurses and management when implementing a change of this nature. The use of Lewin’s Change Management theory can support nurses through the transitions and identify areas of strengths and resistances prior to implementing change. Without a framework for guidance, it can be difficult to keep on track.

Conflict will always exist when a group or team is composed with different people with different approaches and ideas. Conflict cannot be avoided and in inevitable. As nurses, it is imperative that we have conflict resolution skills to deal with our day to day encounters (Yoder-Wise,2015).

Health care organizations are in a continual state of change so they can adapt and grow. Effective nurse leaders must be well equipped to handle the complexities of change, and be prepared to deal with resistance to change. According to Marquis and Huston (2015), change is a complicated process that requires planning, and it takes time to be able to recognize, address, and overcome resistance. Resistance to change can vary, but nurse leaders need to be empowered to buffer the negative effects of resistance (Montani, Courcy, Giorgi, & Boilard, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of change and the how the effective nurse leader confronts and deals with resistance to change.

Change is constant in the health care system. When new evidence is proven to be better, it is being implemented to improve quality care (i.e. effective, safe, and efficient.) The change agent use leadership skills to affect change and bring the expertise and resources to the table to help create healthier and global communities. “The Nurse of the Future will influence the behavior of individuals or groups of individuals within their environment in a way that will facilitate the establishment and acquisition/achievement of shared goals (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, 2010). An effective leader must have the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary and be able to anticipate how followers will respond to change and choosing

Change is unavoidable in today’s society, especially in the healthcare field. In order for change to occur smoothly, we must encourage others to accept why there is a need for the change to occur. In a healthcare organization change is typically began as a response to an outside pressure. These change that need to occur are typically initiated by the directors or managers of the facility. As nurses we are all well aware that change is never easy, often we are face with the resistance of others. This is where it is essential for the leaders of the facility to be able to manage the changes that may occur a good leader must be able to utilize the management process to be an effective leader. A leader must be able to plan, Planning is the

As nurses, it is imperative that we have skills to deal with conflict we encounter throughout the day. Some conflicts are easily handled with simple solutions; other disagreements can persist for weeks or even months and never be handled in a proper way to resolve the situation. The later kind of situation can create resentment, anger, and animosity between employees or colleagues. In this paper I will describe a conflict situation with resolution strategies used by the confronter, discuss other ways to resolve the conflict, and discuss the conflict theory most beneficial to use with a diverse group of people.

Conflict is a fact of life - for individuals, organizations, and societies. The costs of conflict are well-documented - high turnover, grievances and lawsuits, absenteeism, divorce, dysfunctional families, prejudice, fear. What many people don't realize is that well-managed conflict can actually be a force for positive change.

As a nurse leader, whether planning to develop and implement a change within an organization either through policy changes or evidence-based protocols, the readiness for change requires a keen understanding of the organization need based on the prioritized quality initiatives and requires the support of the stakeholders due to potential barriers. Roussel & Swansburg, (2009) identified “habits, complacency, fear of disorganization, set patterns of response to change, conservatism, perceived loss of power, ego involvement, insecurity, perceived loss of current or meaningful personal relationships, and perceived lack of rewards” as motivation factors to resist change (, p. 121).

The main focus of the theory is motivation, inspiration and empowerment to create changes. It is based on the idea of empowering others to facilitate overall goal. Bennis and Nanus (1985) describe this new leader as a leader who “commits people to action, who converts leaders into leaders, and who converts leaders into agents of change” (p.3).177. According to processes to engage and motivate staff article “Transformational leadership is important for high quality care delivery, and behaviors that nurse leaders inspire, role model and reinforce are instrumental in creating work practice that deliver optimum care”.

In this writing, we will explore and explain strategies of conflict resolution and, encourage teams, individuals and society as a whole to use some of these ideas for their own resolution purposes. “In many cases, effective conflict resolution skills can make the difference between positive and negative outcomes.” (Conflict resolution, 2008). With this in mind, individuals will have hope for a more positive team experience.

Without competent leadership change can have negative impact on both the employees and the patients. According to Wright (2010), lack of leadership in change management could lead to adverse outcomes such as resentment, rebellious attitudes, and could end up damaging the same people it intended to make better (p.20). Therefore, experts warned that it is very important to have competent leadership at the helm of change management (p.20). As the focus of providing leadership shifts to nurse administrators who are often in the frontline of change management, nurse administrator should use essential tools such as the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) five domain of competence as a framework in change management.

In trying to resolve the conflict between Reece and Patel, Edwards used an avoidance strategy. Instead of speaking directly about the root causes, or sources, of the conflict, Edwards focused on the behaviors and treated Reece and Patel like children. Edwards scolded them, and sent them off without bothering to find out what was bothering the two. Of course, this type of conflict resolution is ineffective because it fails to address the underlying issues. As Anderson (n.d.) points out, addressing the problem is key to conflict resolution. "When a conflict does happen, a manager needs to focus the conflicting parties on the issue and have them leave out any personal problems they may be having," (Anderson, n.d.).

For many of us, every day is a struggle to avoid conflict. Yet avoidance is practically impossible since the core characteristics, ideas and beliefs of each individual often conflict with our own. Differences of opinion, competitive zeal, and misinterpretations, among other factors, can all generate ill feelings between co-workers within an organization. While we can’t avoid conflict, we can learn how to sidestep negative confrontations by becoming familiar with the types of conflicts that most commonly arise in the work place and by learning how to resolve them.