Conflict Management

BY RICHARD McELHANEY, RN, MSN, CNA

CQI Coordinator & Quality Management
USA Knollwood Park Hospital in Mobile
Alabama

ABSTRACT: Identifying the causes of conflict and the effective measures

to negotiate successful solutions encourages win-win situations. The
situations that cause stress are discussed, and the methods used to resolve
conflict are identified.

Managing conflict
Conflict resolutions

Conflict is inevitable. A study done by the American Management Association

revealed these findings:

Managers spend an average of 20% of their time dealing with conflict.

Managers feel that their ability to negotiate has become important over
the last 10 years.
Conflict management is rated as of equal or slightly higher importance
than planning, communication, motivation, and decision making.
Managers list certain psychological factors as sources of conflict:
misunderstanding, communication failure, personality clashes, and value
differences.(1)

Nurse managers deal with internal and external conflict daily. What causes
conflict? Swansburg lists six areas that cause conflict within nursing: defiant
behavior; stress; space; physician authority; beliefs, values, and goals; and
others. Stressors include: too little responsibility, lack of participation in decision
making, lack of managerial support, increasing standards of performance, and
coping with rapid technological change.(2) A nurse's personal space is often
invaded by other staff members, physicians, and patients. Such crowded
conditions and constant interaction lead to burnout and turnover. Lack of
respect within the profession leads to anger, feelings of diminished self-worth,
and conflict. Another's beliefs, values, and goals may conflict with personal
ethics or the organizational goals. Other causes of conflict involve
organizational climate, leadership style, off-the-job problems, age pressures, job
standards, and personal prejudice.

Managing conflict

To resolve conflict, look forward rather than backward. Several common

approaches to handling conflict include avoiding, accommodating, collaborating,
and competing.(3)

Avoiding is simply not addressing the conflict--a lose-lose situation. This

approach is appropriate to use when the other party is more powerful, one has
no chance of obtaining his/her goals, the cost of addressing the conflict is higher
than the benefit of resolution, or the issue is not important. It is best to
temporarily avoid the issue to gain composure or to gather information.
Avoiding the problem does not resolve the issue; it only prolongs the inevitable
confrontation.

Accommodating to meet the goals of the other party is appropriate when the
issue is more important to someone else, when the person is more powerful, or
when the person is wrong. This lose-win situation promotes harmony and gains
credits that can be used at a later date. Collaborating promotes effective
problem solving because both parties try to find mutual agreeable solutions. In
this win-win situation, problems are identified, alternatives are addressed, and
agreeable solutions are reached.

Competition is power driven. The person may be aggressive and

uncompromising and may pursue his/her own goals at the expense of another.
Although this approach is a win-lose situation, it is appropriate when a quick or
unpopular decision has to be made.

Compromising combines assertiveness and cooperation. This lose-lose situation

is effective when expedient answers are needed and both parties are of equal
power.

Conflict resolutions

Swansburg states that conflict management should broaden the understanding

about problems, increase alternative resolutions, and achieve a workable
consensus and a genuine commitment to decision making.(4) A common form
of conflict resolution is positional bargaining, a form of give and take, in which
proposals are made, then negotiated. In this form of negotiation, win-lose or
lose-win situations often result. Is the position the real issue or is it the
principle?

An alternative to position bargaining, based on merits of the issue, is principle

negotiation. This form of negotiation lists four basic components: separate the
people from the problem; focus on interest, not position; generate a variety of
possibilities before making a decision; and base results on objective
standards.(5) Handled properly, principle negotiation can result in a large
percentage of win-win situations.

According to Kurt Lewin's Change Theory, during the freezing stage a conflict
situation is recognized. In the moving stage, problems that need to be changed
are identified, alternatives are explored, objectives are defined, and the plan for
change (resolution of the conflict) is implemented. The refreezing stage
integrates the conflict's resolutions into the system and then stabilizes it.
Successful negotiation skills resolve conflict and encourage collaboration, which
strengthens a positive work environment.