Conflict Management in Healthcare, Essay Example

In my practice, I believe that I tend to avoid conflicts. Conflict avoidance can be both beneficial and harmful, according to Raines (2013, p. 9). The author also explains that people who have had negative experiences when dealing with conflict tend to avoid them. While I do not always avoid conflict, when the problem seems to be insignificant, I tend to sit down and think how can things get managed without having to intervene directly. I also understand that conflict is necessary for negotiation and innovation, therefore, when necessary, I sit down with others and try to find a solution together. I do sometimes refuse to take notice of the problem, and hope that it will solve itself, and this is definitely one of the leadership development areas I need work on.

My secondary conflict management style is collaboration. When I realize there is a problem, I attempt to get all the people in the team together to find a solution together. While I do not always make sacrifices, I often do, but expect the same in return. When I appoint a team member to become responsible for liaising with patient representatives, I offer training and coaching, but also expect them to provide support and report back to me on a regular basis on the issue. I believe that having a positive and encouraging work environment is important for all team members, and that is why I try to work on collaboration. However, I do also understand that collaboration cannot solve all workplace problems (Raines, 2013, p. 14), and in some cases I do need to make decisions and claim my authority. As an example, I recently realized that I could not possibly ask all of the team members which shift they prefer, as it is dictated by the needs of patients, the department’s standards and targets.

Overall, when there is a conflict of interest in the team regarding tasks, and both of them would like to do the same, I use collaboration. However, I am also avoiding the conflict until it is evident that the two nurses cannot solve it themselves. In some cases, too much collaboration makes it hard for me to make important decisions, such as selecting employee training programs, as I listen to team members, instead of trusting myself to make the right decision.

References

Raines, S. (2013) Conflict management for managers. Resolving workplace, client, and policy disputes. Jossey-Bass.