Conflict management: importance and implications

Abstract

Conflict is a consistent and unavoidable issue within healthcare teams. Despite training of nurse leaders and managers around areas of conflict resolution, the problem of staff relations, stress, sickness and retention remain. Conflict arises from issues with interpersonal relationships, change and poor leadership. New members of staff entering an already established healthcare team should be supported and integrated, to encourage mutual role respect between all team members and establish positive working relationships, in order to maximise patient care. This paper explores the concept of conflict, the importance of addressing causes of conflict, effective management, and the relevance of positive approaches to conflict resolution. Good leadership, nurturing positive team dynamics and communication, encourages shared problem solving and acceptance of change. Furthermore mutual respect fosters a more positive working environment for those in healthcare teams. As conflict has direct implications for patients, positive resolution is essential, to promote safe and effective delivery of care, whilst encouraging therapeutic relationships between colleagues and managers.

Conflict management among health professionals in hospitals of Cyprus

“…Research supports the notion that, when managed correctly, conflicts can be used to derive positive results (Haraway & Haraway, 2005;McKibben, 2017;Tang & Chang, 2010).…”

“…Despite the negative consequences and the unpleasant conditions caused by conflicts (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2010), they can be partly constructive (Haraway & Haraway, 2005;McKibben, 2017).…”

“…Despite the negative consequences and the unpleasant conditions caused by conflicts (Kreitner & Kinicki, ), they can be partly constructive (Haraway & Haraway, ; McKibben, ). Research supports the notion that, when managed correctly, conflicts can be used to derive positive results (Haraway & Haraway, ; McKibben, ; Tang & Chang, ).…”

“…In a multivariate environment such as a hospital, the need for interdisciplinary collaboration increases the degree of interaction between the workers, which is necessary to achieve clinical and administrative goals (Al-Hamdan, Nussera, & Masa'deh, 2016;McKibben, 2017;Papadopoulou, 2014). Vague description of business functions and confusion of roles have been identified as two of the main causes of conflict (Bonner & Walker, 2004;Haraway & Haraway, 2005).…”

Pesquisa-ação e práticas restaurativas para a prevenção da violência escolar: percepções dos professores

“…Uma das estratégias de prevenção da violência escolar é a gestão de conflitos, que pode auxiliar a escola, no entanto, não pode ser utilizada isoladamente, é necessário o desenvolvimento de programas multidimensionais, com ações direcionadas para determinada sociedade ou realidade da escola (POSSATO et al, 2016). Contudo, para a efetividade da gestão de conflitos existem alguns aspectos fundamentais, incluindo a comunicação, a escuta e a compreensão da percepção dos envolvidos, assim como o contexto em que estão inseridos e a origem do conflito (McKIBBEN, 2017). No entanto, nesse estudo, verificamos que os professores apresentavam dificuldades de comunicação.…”