Description
Need a discussion post in reply to both posts belowLength: A minimum of 150 words each post, not including referencesCitations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA 7th edition from within the last 5 years Post #1 Conflict
management is any technique that can deescalate a stressful situation
to reduce tension and curb bad behavior. (Arveklev et al., 2018)
Conflict management is critical in nursing to provide safe and competent
care. As nurses, we deal with conflicts on a daily basis whether it is
between coworkers, with patients and/or their families, or with
management; really anyone that we come into contact with could
potentially turn into a situation of conflict. Due to the stressful
environment that nursing exhibits, learning effective strategies to
resolve conflicts can benefit the team and workplace, ensuring that the
patients are cared for appropriately.A
situation comes to mind between two nurses that I previously worked
with, one a registered nurse (RN) and the other a licensed practical
nurse (LPN). I had just been hired and the RN and LPN had just begun to
work together as well because our unit had transitioned from eight-hour
shifts to twelve-hour shifts. The LPN had been working at this facility
for 15+ years and had been used to working the third shift where the
residents were already in bed, and most of the patient care was ensuring
the patients were clean, ready for breakfast, and their morning
medications were given. She now had to deal with a heavy nighttime
medication pass along with giving baths and putting residents to bed, as
well as the morning routine. The LPN always requested to do patient
care instead of passing medications, but always did the bare minimum of
patient care while other staff picked up the slack.The
RN attempted to resolve this conflict by taking her to the side in a
friendly manner, to discuss some of the things she was having problems
with while working with her such as her aversion to passing medications.
This interaction between the two worked out well for a short while as
the LPN did better with patient care and even passed medications from
time to time, but unfortunately, the LPN slowly went back to her old
ways. After becoming frustrated again, the RN decided it would be best
to get the nurse manager involved to help resolve the conflict. The
nurse manager then called a meeting with the LPN to develop a plan of
action to ensure that she knew what her role and responsibilities were
and that she was able to provide safe and competent care.Arveklev
et al (2018), discuss a study done in Sweden involving student nurses
at a university. These nurses were taught about the concepts of conflict
management in the classroom and then had to attend a one-day drama
workshop using role play to practice the techniques that they had
learned about in the classroom. I found this to be an interesting way to
help nurses develop their conflict management skills as I am a firm
believer that practice makes perfect. As with other skills you learn in
school the more you do it the more comfortable you are doing it.Post #2 Dysfunctional
conflict refers to undesirable conflict in the workplace that can arise
from either behavioral or emotionally charged difficulties between
people or groups. The parties involved in the disagreement are unable to
effectively communicate with one another, which leads to a decrease in
productivity (Stasser & Abele, 2020). Tension in the workplace,
negative consequences from the disagreement, and growing anger towards
the source of the conflict are all possibilities for people involved.Physicians
and nurses collaborate closely to provide quality care for patients,
but problems with communication and patient delegation are common.
Misunderstandings and communication breakdowns between doctors and other
staff members are frequent sources of dysfunctional conflict in the
healthcare environment (Stasser & Abele, 2020). When a doctor has a
bias towards or an inaccurate impression of an APN, for instance,
tensions might ensue. The physician may not consider the APN to be as
capable as themselves due to differences in training, education, skills,
and experience. This may result in a resentful attitude toward the APN,
and their recommendations may not be taken into consideration as a
result. This takes the focus off of the patient and leads to a decline
in efficiency within the working environment. Continually, this leads to
a hostile work environment where both parties may not want to work with
each other, decreasing productivity, team morale, and overall loss of
staff support.The
first step to resolving this problem is to step back and analyze the
situation. Through this process, it will be possible to identify the
desired outcome for the case, the goal for the problem, and the steps
necessary to achieve it (Mikkelsen & Clegg, 2019). Once this
dysfunctional pattern is identified, behavioral intervention should be
initiated. In order to begin addressing this conflict, an understanding
of how they arise is essential. Continually, the parties involved must
cultivate self-awareness among themselves regarding how they respond
physically and emotionally to the situation (Rahim, 2023). The physician
and nurse can thus begin addressing the conflict between them and guide
understanding from each other’s points of view.In
approaching conflict, a variety of approaches may include avoiding,
accommodating, competing, compromising, and cooperating to address these
issues. An avoidance strategy may be beneficial if the dispute is
minor, the parties are emotionally charged, or when others can find a
better solution (Rahim, 2023). If both parties demonstrate
uncooperativeness, forcefulness, and assertiveness toward their
objectives, the use of competition may be necessary to take progressive
steps on this problem. Accommodation would aim to create harmony by
yielding to the other individual in the conflict, as the situation
outweighs the benefits that may be gained from the conflict (Rahim,
2023). This may be used within the situation between the physician and
the registered nurse but may also continue to cause resentment if the
conflict repeats itself. In this scenario, compromise and cooperation
may be the best strategy to implement.Compromise
strategies involve mutual concessions of interests and objectives in
order to achieve a middle-ground position (Mikkelsen & Clegg, 2019).
To achieve a compromise, both parties must negotiate the terms with
equal power to arrive at an understanding they both agree on.
Collaboration and cooperation refer to the process of understanding how
to reach a solution that meets both of the parties’ requirements
(Mikkelsen & Clegg, 2019). It is through the implementation of these
strategies to reduce or remove conflict that hostility within the work
environment can be addressed, the organization within the team can be
formed, communication can be improved, and patient-centred care can be
implemented, resulting in a healthier working environment overall.
