Conflict with Colleagues

Disputes in the Workplace

Disputes arise in practically every workplace, including healthcare (Stanton, 2014). A conflict management strategy is implemented in collaboration with a nurse leader on one’s floor. The plan considers available resources such as time, budget, location, and industry collateral employees. It also takes into account employee involvement, change management principles, and team dynamics. It is critical to develop conflict resolution solutions that are specific to each situation. An effective conflict management strategy must consider three types of conflicts: nurse-client conflict, conflict with coworkers, and workplace conflict.

Nurse-Client Conflict

The nurse-client relationship is critical in health-care delivery, as it contributes to the client’s health and well-being. Unresolved nurse-client conflicts can jeopardize the realization of the goals (Sherman, 2012). To manage such conflicts, the nurse should engage the client, their family and the healthcare team in helping with the behavior and come up with a solution to prevent and manage it.

Conflict with Colleagues

Conflicts among the colleagues at workplace bear an indirect effect on the therapeutic nurse-client relationship. Poor relationships among colleagues adversely affect the delivery of care. Things like bullying among the colleagues can erode a nurse’s confidence. In managing conflict, it is important to stress that to function effectively, nurses should build good collegial relationships from understanding, persuasion, mutual acceptance, and good communication (Sherman, 2012).

In managing such conflicts, nurses can address the conflict instead of avoiding it and postponing its resolution. They also may need to focus on the kind of behaviors that result in conflicts instead of the colleague personally. Moreover, in managing conflicts, it is vital to validate the assumptions through an open dialogue mechanism with the colleagues instead of acting on the assumptions. Finally, it would be critical to collaborate with colleagues in establishing the underlying issues that bring conflict. Consequently, it may be important to involve a neutral party such as a professional mediator.

Workplace Conflict

In the delivery of optimal health, nurses and employers need to establish a healthy workplace for every member of healthcare team the team (Stanton, 2014). It is such a healthy work environment with nurses safely identifying conflict and putting in place systems for its management. It is the employers’ responsibility to promote quality practice settings where the workers are encouraged to understand conflict and use the best strategies to mitigate them.

Therefore, establishing a conflict reporting system to aid the nurses to recognize when there is a conflict. This system would promote communication among nurses by identifying the underlying root of conflicts. The open communication together with understanding will enhance an environment of respect and trust among the healthcare team. Further, all the nurses can be empowered to resolve any conflicts that may arise among colleagues. Make conflict resolution is a priority among the health care team.

References

Sherman, R.O. (2012). Charge nurse series part 4 - How to manage conflict. Emerging RN Leader. Retrieved on July 5, 2012 from Emerging RN Leader: http://www.emergingrnleader.com/charge-nurse-series-part-4-how-to-manage-conflict/

Stanton, K. (2014). Resolving workplace conflict. Advance Healthcare Network. Retrieved on October 29, 2014 from http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Continuing-Education/CE-Articles/Resolving-Workplace-Conflict.aspx