Conflict Management In Health Care

Conflict Management in Health Care Teams

By:Nemat Aggarwal(13) Jacky Johnson Kisku(26) Madhusmita Boro(11)

CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3 The Nature of Conflict ............................................................................................... 3 Social Conflict Theory ........................................................................................... 3 Attributes of Conflict ............................................................................................. 3 The origins of conflict ........................................................................................ 3 The forms of conflict .........................................................................................
Conflict is central to human relations and human interactions are based on conflict. Every human being represents an expression of values, meaning, attributes, perspectives, biases and roles. This is the basis for the uniqueness of human identity. This uniqueness then becomes the basis for expression and behaviour that emphasise individual separateness. Yet at the same time each individual identifies with groups both within and without the team or workplace, based on attributes such as race, culture, religion, values, experience and professional role, and injects these into the complex fabric of workplace interaction, leading to divided loyalties. The continuous and endless diversity that this complexity brings provides ample opportunity for conflict. At the same time this uniqueness results in creativity, energy, excitement, innovation and an array of expression and challenges. This is the richness of human life, the colour and the contours of social fabric that we should embrace and
These require the development of an interdisciplinary perspective with common values, language and conceptual framework. (also Abramson 1984), transcending boundaries and hierarchies. These provide for the recognition of diverse viewpoints as opportunities for growth, and exploring the assumptions that inform them, rather than unsatisfying compromise and incomplete solutions.

Conclusions
Conflict is a normative expression of human diversity and is a necessary component of team and programmatic function. The ultimate goal of health care teams is the care of patients. Focussing on common values and frameworks, as opposed to imposing diverse perspectives brought to the table, and committed and skilled leadership are key elements to effective team function and delivery of care. It is essential that lessons learnt from the application of organised conflict management in industry be applied in health care. Organisational commitment to problem solving has the potential to increase the level of service at lower cost. To that

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end it is crucial that health care systems actively recognise the need for, and build in conflict management skills and systems.

ReFerences
1

Goodyear M. Effective Team Functioning in Health Care: A keystone of patient safety August 2006