Nursing Leadership Conflict
Over the years, the nursing profession has comprehensively developed a wide range of nursing careers and specialties. The diversity in the nursing profession with the increasing number of consumers having complex health-related needs is often accompanied by conflict and struggle amongst the nurses in the health setting. Thus, good leadership is needed to identify and effectively prevent conflict in the workplace. Sullivan (2012) defines nursing leadership as a professional who utilizes interpersonal skills, knowledge and role development in influencing others to accomplish a specific goal in the healthcare setting. Effective nursing leaders work on their abilities to effectively determine the arising conflict in the workplace by spending
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most of their time addressing employee or staff arguments and work-related challenges. Al-Hamdan, Shukri, and Anthony (2011) defines conflict as an inevitable part of everyday social, organisational and professional life as a nurse. Handling conflicts in an efficient manner results in quality improvement, safety of the patient, staff morale and minimizes work and stress to the caregiver (Johansen, 2012). Ralph, Welch, Norris and Irwin (2013) also argued that the presence of conflict is part of a human being to interact and as such this must be recognised and dealt with accordingly. In order for effective application of conflict resolution measures, it is essential to analyse the information involving power and conflict in a practical level. Applicability is defined as relevance by virtue of being applicable to the matter at hand. Effectiveness is defined as adequate to accomplish a purpose producing the intended or expected result. Al-Hamdan (2009) enumerates techniques of managing conflict in the workplace which are compromising, avoidance, competition, accommodation and collaboration.
Compromising is defined as involving intermediate levels of being assertive and cooperating in the group showing moderate concern for self and other colleagues. This type of conflict resolution focuses on immediate and mutual agreement to conciliate both parties and noted as a “no win-no lose” scenario. The usual characteristics are negotiation and interchange, the nursing managers’ application of compromise is seen in their primary conflict management style. Each of the parties affected gains something in return but complies with something else in the negotiation. Iglesias and Vallejo (2012) argued in their study that in using conflict-solving approaches used in academic and clinical nursing, the most common style used to resolve the struggle in the workplace was compromising showing an overall 83% usage in the clinical setting than the other conflict strategies. Nursing leaders identify mutually acceptable solutions to reach a temporary settlement. Barr and Dowding (2008) noted that compromising is used to reach desirable solutions under time pressure for example in the emergency setting where immediate and practical solutions are needed save the patient’s life. It is a relevant strategy when there is time to analyse both parties’ needs but demands close monitoring to safeguard the decision …show more content…
made.
Avoidance or withdrawal is defined as one party ignores or has low concern for self and other workmates by reducing the relevance of issues noted in the clinical setting and undertaking to subdue one’s thought about the incident.
Nursing leaders using this strategy ignores complaints showing a lack of concern for the improvement of the health care team (Barr & Dowding, 2008). It is also observed to be a cooling down method when faced with scenarios that are detrimental that may overshadow benefits. Also noted as the “lose-lose” scenario as both parties are neither assertive nor cooperative to fix the problem. Nursing leaders practicing this strategy needs more time and information before confronting the issue such as when unprepared or taken by surprise. Some nursing leaders may have poor emotional stability to assess the situation that affects their feelings making them unable to handle the conflict. This strategy is effective and applicable in the clinical setting when one party is being hostile and the other party is forced to withdraw and later respond when favourable factors are available. Al-Hamdan et. al. (2011) states that nursing leaders who often use avoidance may end up losing their position wherein the subordinates are not able to trust their decision making skills as being a leader or manager in the unit requires skill and experience. Johansen (2012) also stated that this strategy may be applicable with a nurse-physician interaction. The avoidance management
style is effective when the nurse feels intimidated by the medical officer’s power and authority and may hesitate to defy the physician about the patient’s needs. The nurse may feel it easier to do his or her own job by avoiding raising an incident to avoid conflict than risk being confronted by the situation. The nurse providing direct patient care is fearful of being punished or reprimanded and thus uses avoidance to protect self against others.
Competition as defined by Johansen (2012) focuses in dominating one’s will on others by emphasizing threats or bluffs, persuasion and commitment to own position. Also noted as the “win-lose” scenario, only one party pursues personal goals with disregard to others. Often observed to be effective in nursing leaders who had to make a quick decision to protect self or someone else from harm also noted in an emergency situation or in a power-struggle (Al-Hamdan et. al., 2011). Also identified as “forcing”, competing is effective when one has to stand up for their own rights, repelling hostility from others and reliving pressure as a last resort to handle a resilient conflict in the clinical setting. This may increase the self-esteem of the nurse leader and earns respect in responding to hostility in the workplace. Almost, Doran, McGillis Hall and Spence (2010) also stated that in competition, this approach may affect negativity in relationships in the future as this type of conflict management demands more energy and other staffs may feel job dissatisfaction, more absenteeism and attrition as the result of the perceived conflict.
Al-Hamdan et. al. (2011) defines accommodation as being a cooperative leader showing unassertive behaviours in the workplace. Often seen as self-sacrificial, the nursing leader may be noted as neglecting one’s own interests to satisfy other’s needs. Sullivan (2012) noted accommodation as a style to minimise differences by committing self to the stronger opposition. Effectively applied in the clinical setting by newly graduate nurses to build credit for later use and promoting harmony in the workplace. Identified as a “lose-win” scenario, the nursing leader may be cooperative by providing one-sided concessions and unconditional promises and indulges in other’s needs to benefit in the future. This strategy is most effective to smoothen out conflict or get more time until one is ready to respond by reassessing from a distinctive angle. Studies shown that nursing leaders may be at risk for abuse as the other parties may continuously take advantage of such treatment. With continued use, accommodating others may affect one’s confidence to respond against a contentious opponent. When nurse leaders obligate themselves in the team, they usually desire to be respected as a team leader and to be remembered in the future as an effective manager in conflict resolve (Johansen, 2012).
Collaboration is defined by Al-Hamdan (2009) as problem solving by confronting the situation involving an attempt to get into an arrangement with the other person to find a solution that satisfies both parties. Also coined as a “win-win” scenario, the nurse leader sees the conflict as a means to settle and provide opportunities leading to increased benefits in the workplace. Often utilised when commitment from other parties is important and high level of trust is present. When handling the treatment plan of a patient, the collaboration of the multidisciplinary team is noted to share the knowledge, skills and responsibility in the interventions for the patient. Sullivan (2012) notes that nurse leaders applying these strategies often do not want to have full responsibility and therefore, collaborates with the nurses in the unit with better strategies to provide for the health care of all patients. This is often observed in the handover, wherein the nurse managers sits with the nursing team and participates with the discussion if there are conflict that may arise from a certain patient or individual staff. Collaboration is effective when it actually solve the problem and gathers mutual trust and respect on both parties. Nursing leaders often earn the title of a good negotiator and builds groundwork for effective collaboration in subsequent conflicts. Nursing managers who often use this strategy also spreads the responsibility to other nurses by merging knowledge and input from others to gain understanding and change a long-term conflict.
Being in the position of a nurse manager, it is relevant to resolve conflict before it escalates into a difficult situation. The application of the five strategies mentioned above may pose an advantage or disadvantage in conflict resolution management but are still adept in formulating a plan to solve any problem. In the clinical setting, the patient’s welfare is the most important benefactor in resolving conflict amongst the members of the health care team. Strategies are to be able to recognize conflict by knowing the early warning signs by paying attention to the body language, speech tone and volume and changing moods of the staff. Active listening embarks better understanding of both parties’ interest to avoid frustration and additional issues. Seeking a solution and remaining calm is successful in reaching the goal not only for self but also for others.
References:
Al-Hamdan, Z. (2009). Nurse managers, diversity and conflict management. Diversity in Health and Care, 6, 31-43.
Al-Hamdan, Z., Shukri, R., & Anthony, D. (2011). Conflict management styles used by nurse managers in the Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20, 571-580.
Almost, J., Doran, D.M, McGillis Hall, L., & Spence Laschinger, H.K. (2010). Antecedents and consequences of intra-group conflict among nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 18, 981-992.
Barr, J., & Dowding, L. (2008). Managing conflict. In Leadership in health care (pp. 135-151). London: SAGE.
Iglesias, M., & Vallejo, R. (2012). Conflict resolution styles in the nursing profession. Contemporary Nurse 43(1), 73-80.
Johansen, M. (2012). Keeping the peace: Conflict management strategies for nurse managers. Nursing management, 43(2), 50-54. doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000410920.90831.96
Sullivan, E. J. (2012). Effective leadership and management in nursing (8th ed.). Boston. MA: Pearson.
Ralph, N., Welch, A. J., Norris, P., & Irwin, R. (2013). Reflections on power, conflict, and resolution for the perioperative environment. ACORN: The Journal of Perioperative Nursing in Australia, 26(1), 19-22.
most of their time addressing employee or staff arguments and work-related challenges. Al-Hamdan, Shukri, and Anthony (2011) defines conflict as an inevitable part of everyday social, organisational and professional life as a nurse. Handling conflicts in an efficient manner results in quality improvement, safety of the patient, staff morale and minimizes work and stress to the caregiver (Johansen, 2012). Ralph, Welch, Norris and Irwin (2013) also argued that the presence of conflict is part of a human being to interact and as such this must be recognised and dealt with accordingly. In order for effective application of conflict resolution measures, it is essential to analyse the information involving power and conflict in a practical level. Applicability is defined as relevance by virtue of being applicable to the matter at hand. Effectiveness is defined as adequate to accomplish a purpose producing the intended or expected result. Al-Hamdan (2009) enumerates techniques of managing conflict in the workplace which are compromising, avoidance, competition, accommodation and collaboration.
Compromising is defined as involving intermediate levels of being assertive and cooperating in the group showing moderate concern for self and other colleagues. This type of conflict resolution focuses on immediate and mutual agreement to conciliate both parties and noted as a “no win-no lose” scenario. The usual characteristics are negotiation and interchange, the nursing managers’ application of compromise is seen in their primary conflict management style. Each of the parties affected gains something in return but complies with something else in the negotiation. Iglesias and Vallejo (2012) argued in their study that in using conflict-solving approaches used in academic and clinical nursing, the most common style used to resolve the struggle in the workplace was compromising showing an overall 83% usage in the clinical setting than the other conflict strategies. Nursing leaders identify mutually acceptable solutions to reach a temporary settlement. Barr and Dowding (2008) noted that compromising is used to reach desirable solutions under time pressure for example in the emergency setting where immediate and practical solutions are needed save the patient’s life. It is a relevant strategy when there is time to analyse both parties’ needs but demands close monitoring to safeguard the decision …show more content…
made.
Avoidance or withdrawal is defined as one party ignores or has low concern for self and other workmates by reducing the relevance of issues noted in the clinical setting and undertaking to subdue one’s thought about the incident.
Nursing leaders using this strategy ignores complaints showing a lack of concern for the improvement of the health care team (Barr & Dowding, 2008). It is also observed to be a cooling down method when faced with scenarios that are detrimental that may overshadow benefits. Also noted as the “lose-lose” scenario as both parties are neither assertive nor cooperative to fix the problem. Nursing leaders practicing this strategy needs more time and information before confronting the issue such as when unprepared or taken by surprise. Some nursing leaders may have poor emotional stability to assess the situation that affects their feelings making them unable to handle the conflict. This strategy is effective and applicable in the clinical setting when one party is being hostile and the other party is forced to withdraw and later respond when favourable factors are available. Al-Hamdan et. al. (2011) states that nursing leaders who often use avoidance may end up losing their position wherein the subordinates are not able to trust their decision making skills as being a leader or manager in the unit requires skill and experience. Johansen (2012) also stated that this strategy may be applicable with a nurse-physician interaction. The avoidance management
style is effective when the nurse feels intimidated by the medical officer’s power and authority and may hesitate to defy the physician about the patient’s needs. The nurse may feel it easier to do his or her own job by avoiding raising an incident to avoid conflict than risk being confronted by the situation. The nurse providing direct patient care is fearful of being punished or reprimanded and thus uses avoidance to protect self against others.
Competition as defined by Johansen (2012) focuses in dominating one’s will on others by emphasizing threats or bluffs, persuasion and commitment to own position. Also noted as the “win-lose” scenario, only one party pursues personal goals with disregard to others. Often observed to be effective in nursing leaders who had to make a quick decision to protect self or someone else from harm also noted in an emergency situation or in a power-struggle (Al-Hamdan et. al., 2011). Also identified as “forcing”, competing is effective when one has to stand up for their own rights, repelling hostility from others and reliving pressure as a last resort to handle a resilient conflict in the clinical setting. This may increase the self-esteem of the nurse leader and earns respect in responding to hostility in the workplace. Almost, Doran, McGillis Hall and Spence (2010) also stated that in competition, this approach may affect negativity in relationships in the future as this type of conflict management demands more energy and other staffs may feel job dissatisfaction, more absenteeism and attrition as the result of the perceived conflict.
Al-Hamdan et. al. (2011) defines accommodation as being a cooperative leader showing unassertive behaviours in the workplace. Often seen as self-sacrificial, the nursing leader may be noted as neglecting one’s own interests to satisfy other’s needs. Sullivan (2012) noted accommodation as a style to minimise differences by committing self to the stronger opposition. Effectively applied in the clinical setting by newly graduate nurses to build credit for later use and promoting harmony in the workplace. Identified as a “lose-win” scenario, the nursing leader may be cooperative by providing one-sided concessions and unconditional promises and indulges in other’s needs to benefit in the future. This strategy is most effective to smoothen out conflict or get more time until one is ready to respond by reassessing from a distinctive angle. Studies shown that nursing leaders may be at risk for abuse as the other parties may continuously take advantage of such treatment. With continued use, accommodating others may affect one’s confidence to respond against a contentious opponent. When nurse leaders obligate themselves in the team, they usually desire to be respected as a team leader and to be remembered in the future as an effective manager in conflict resolve (Johansen, 2012).
Collaboration is defined by Al-Hamdan (2009) as problem solving by confronting the situation involving an attempt to get into an arrangement with the other person to find a solution that satisfies both parties. Also coined as a “win-win” scenario, the nurse leader sees the conflict as a means to settle and provide opportunities leading to increased benefits in the workplace. Often utilised when commitment from other parties is important and high level of trust is present. When handling the treatment plan of a patient, the collaboration of the multidisciplinary team is noted to share the knowledge, skills and responsibility in the interventions for the patient. Sullivan (2012) notes that nurse leaders applying these strategies often do not want to have full responsibility and therefore, collaborates with the nurses in the unit with better strategies to provide for the health care of all patients. This is often observed in the handover, wherein the nurse managers sits with the nursing team and participates with the discussion if there are conflict that may arise from a certain patient or individual staff. Collaboration is effective when it actually solve the problem and gathers mutual trust and respect on both parties. Nursing leaders often earn the title of a good negotiator and builds groundwork for effective collaboration in subsequent conflicts. Nursing managers who often use this strategy also spreads the responsibility to other nurses by merging knowledge and input from others to gain understanding and change a long-term conflict.
Being in the position of a nurse manager, it is relevant to resolve conflict before it escalates into a difficult situation. The application of the five strategies mentioned above may pose an advantage or disadvantage in conflict resolution management but are still adept in formulating a plan to solve any problem. In the clinical setting, the patient’s welfare is the most important benefactor in resolving conflict amongst the members of the health care team. Strategies are to be able to recognize conflict by knowing the early warning signs by paying attention to the body language, speech tone and volume and changing moods of the staff. Active listening embarks better understanding of both parties’ interest to avoid frustration and additional issues. Seeking a solution and remaining calm is successful in reaching the goal not only for self but also for others.
References:
Al-Hamdan, Z. (2009). Nurse managers, diversity and conflict management. Diversity in Health and Care, 6, 31-43.
Al-Hamdan, Z., Shukri, R., & Anthony, D. (2011). Conflict management styles used by nurse managers in the Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20, 571-580.
Almost, J., Doran, D.M, McGillis Hall, L., & Spence Laschinger, H.K. (2010). Antecedents and consequences of intra-group conflict among nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 18, 981-992.
Barr, J., & Dowding, L. (2008). Managing conflict. In Leadership in health care (pp. 135-151). London: SAGE.
Iglesias, M., & Vallejo, R. (2012). Conflict resolution styles in the nursing profession. Contemporary Nurse 43(1), 73-80.
Johansen, M. (2012). Keeping the peace: Conflict management strategies for nurse managers. Nursing management, 43(2), 50-54. doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000410920.90831.96
Sullivan, E. J. (2012). Effective leadership and management in nursing (8th ed.). Boston. MA: Pearson.
Ralph, N., Welch, A. J., Norris, P., & Irwin, R. (2013). Reflections on power, conflict, and resolution for the perioperative environment. ACORN: The Journal of Perioperative Nursing in Australia, 26(1), 19-22.