Conflict Resolution Strategies in Nursing - Essay Example

Conflict Resolution in Nursing Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Conflict Resolution Strategies in Nursing Conflict resolution refers to the process through which disputes are resolved by satisfying at least some of the requirements of each side. Acquisition of appropriate conflict resolution techniques by nursing leaders is essential in enhancing productivity at workplace. Nurses are involved in activities geared towards the promotion of health and hygiene in hospitals. They also assist in preparing for medical procedures such as surgeries. It is crucial for nursing leaders to establish effective approaches of solving conflicts in the work places. The role of nursing leader is to coordinate and delegate duties to subordinate nurse in order to enhance efficiency at work place. Nurse leaders utilise various conflict resolution strategies to create a favourable working atmosphere. Using the five conflict resolution strategies enables nurse managers to establish the source of the problem. Identifying the origin of the conflict at workplace is essential in establishing preventive measures at the workplace (Mahon, 2011). The effectiveness of the conflict resolution approaches in the medical sector depends on the ability of an individual to implement the strategies among their subordinates. Various researchers differ in their argument regarding the effectiveness of conflict resolution strategies among nurse leaders. The essay establishes the effectiveness of the five strategies of conflict resolution when utilised by nurse leaders to resolve conflicts at workplace. Effectiveness refers to the ability of the strategy to establish remedies for conflicts among nurses at workplace (Mahon, 2011). The various conflict resolution strategies include collaboration, compromising, avoidance, competition and accommodation. Nurse leaders use the strategies to establish solutions for conflicts at the work place. Various surveys indicate that, nursing managers utilise 25 to 40 percent of their time solving workplace conflicts (Moore, 2011). This wastage of time in dealing with disagreement leads in efficiency among various nurses in an organisation. Nursing industry is highly sensitive. Ineffective conflict resolution techniques, therefore, lead to fatality at the workplace. Various nurse leaders utilise Thomas-Killman Instrument for resolving (Moore, 2011). The instrument establishes approaches of conflict resolution by management. Accommodating is a conflict resolution technique. The strategy entails to the process of smoothing issues over. The goal of accommodating tactic is to yield, promote harmony, and establish a good relationship among individuals at workplace by ignoring the cause of the problem. Accommodating involves ignoring factors that contribute to the conflict. Accommodating strategy is effective in resolving conflict in order to achieve short-term goals in organisations. Nursing is among the most sensitive carriers (Mahon, 2011). Therefore, nurses should consider the sensitivity of their workplace when establishing an effective conflict resolution approach. Nursing managers use Accommodating strategy to solve a problem that does not have long-term effects on the operations of the organisation. In addition, nurse leaders also utilise Accommodating tactic to resolve conflicts that have no adverse effects on the efficiency of the parties involved. Accommodating is effective in resolving conflict among nurses (Moore, 2011). Nurse leaders who utilise accommodating approach create adequate time to establish an appropriate solution to the particular disagreement in the future. In addition, individuals involved in the conflict establish a common ground because of the understanding nature of the leader. The nurse leader also takes time to establish the guilty individual in the conflict. On the other hand, various researchers disagree on the effectiveness of accommodating in resolving conflict by nursing managers (Brown, 2011). Accommodating is an indication of the nurse leader weaknesses. Nurses engage in conflict regardless of the efforts by the leader to resolve the conflicts through accommodation approach. In addition, accommodating method is ineffective in resolving long-term conflicts. Conflict resolved through accommodating technique resurfaces after a specific period. Accommodating conflict resolution approach is ineffective in establishing long-term solutions to conflicts by a nurse leader (Brown, 2011). Compromising conflict resolution strategy entails condoning the arguments of a particular individual in favour of their competition. Compromising strategy enables nursing managers to establish partial solutions to conflicts in the organisation. Compromising approach is utilised by nurse leaders to resolve short-term conflicts in the organisation (Azoulay et al., 2009). Comprising method of resolving conflicts promotes inequality since a nurse leader favour one of the persons involved in the conflict in order to obtain a solution. Compromising technique also encourages conflicts in the organisation. Most nurses engage in conflicts with the expectation of being favoured by the management. Compromising is effective in resolving conflicts in situation where the nurse leader intends to save time (Brown, 2011). Compromising is ineffective in establishing long-term solutions. In addition, compromising limits a nurse manager from identifying the cause of the problem. Identifying the cause of the conflict is essential in establishing long-term solutions to the conflict. Compromising conflict-resolving approach is also ineffective in situations that compromise the safety of the patient (Rahim, 2011). It is important for nursing managers to establish a long-term solution to the conflicts by evaluating the arguments of the involved individuals. However, compromising conflict resolution approach involves risking the patient’s safety. Research indicates that comprising strategy of conflict resolution can lead to fatality in a clinical setup. Fatality results because nursing managers compromise the welfare of the favour in favour of a particular individual’s argument (Azoulay et al., 2009). Collaborating conflict solving approach is the most effective strategy of resolving conflicts in a clinical setup. The collaborating strategy aims at establishing a mutual solution regarding a particular problem. Individuals involved in the conflict express their arguments. The nurse leader establishes the relevance of the arguments in solving the conflict. Collaborating method is mainly utilised in situations where the ideas of the involved nurses are uncompromised (Rahim, 2011). For example, when the conflict involves the safety of the patient and d resources, the nurse leader allows the parties involved to work together to promote a patient’s safety. Collaborating approach entails high levels of corporation and assertiveness (Azoulay et al., 2009). The parties with varying perspectives merge their ideas. Merging of ideas enables the nurses to establish a solution to the conflict. Researchers identify collaborating as the most effective technique of conflict resolution in nursing. Collaboration strategy promotes diversity of ideas, which is crucial in enhancing effectiveness at workplace. Collaborating conflict resolution approach is infective in resolving short-term conflicts. Collaborating techniques is time-consuming. Nursing managers spend more time sorting issues in the clinic (Azoulay et al., 2009). Avoiding conflict resolution strategy entails the process in which nursing managers avoid conflicts in situations that require adequate attentions. Nurse leader uses avoidance technique to enable the nurses to calm down in a critical situation. Avoidance method is utilised in situation where the nurse manager intends to establish the most appropriate technique of resolving the conflict. The nurse’s leader advises other nurses to pause the process to give them time for establishing an effective approach (Clark, 2009). Avoidance is used in circumstances where the problem is of minor importance when the leader knows they cannot prevail over a more challenging situation. Avoidance conflict resolving strategy is crucial is situations where the benefits of a particular technique are minor when compared to the prevailing damage due to continued argument. Scholars identify avoidance technique as ineffective in resolving clinical conflicts (Rahim, 2011). The sensitivity of the clinical conflicts limits nurse leaders from using avoidance strategy to solve conflicts. In addition, avoidance method can lead to fatal damage in situations where the nursing leader compromises the safety of the patient (Tekleab, 2009). Avoidance approach is effective in resolving short-term conflicts that have no effects on the patient. Avoiding approach is however ineffective in resolving issues that condone the patient’s safety (Almost et al., 2010). Competing is a technique of sorting issues. Competing entails the process of allowing various individuals to present their argument regarding a particular issue. Individuals, whom present credible information, are allowed to utilise their ideas in a given process. Competing approach is not effective in sorting clinical issues. Nurses involved in the conflict might present ideal approaches of solving the conflict for the sake of effective completion (Almost et al., 2010). Competition approach is also ineffective because nurses spend more time presenting their ideas to the manager other than resolving the issue at hand. In addition, the nursing leader spends time listening to the competing arguments instead of establishing a solution. Also competing promotes favouritism and divisions in the organisation. The outcome of competing approaches in conflict resolution can be fatal when the conflict needs an urgent solution. Conflict resolution through avoiding strategy is ineffective and can lead to fatality (Clark, 2009). In conclusion, conflict resolution entails processes through which managers promote peaceful working atmosphere. Conflict resolution in nursing involves establishing an appropriate solution to a particular issue in a clinical setup. Conflicts in the nursing industry include medicine administrations issues, problems in preparing patients for surgery and conflicts in taking up certain responsibilities in the hospital. The various strategies of sorting conflicts utilised by nursing managers include compromising, collaborating, avoiding, competing and accommodating. Effectiveness of the conflict resolution strategies varies with respect to the problem that emerges in the clinic. Some methods such as collaborating, compromising and accommodating are effective in resolving short-term issues in an organisation. On the other hand, conflict resolution approaches such as avoiding and competing should be utilised minimally by nurse leaders. Collaborating strategy is the most effective conflict resolution approach used by nursing managers in establishing long-term solutions to the problem. References 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(8), 981-992 Azoulay, E., Timsit, J. F., Sprung, C. L., Soares, M., Rusinová, K., Lafabrie, A., & Schlemmer, B. (2009). Prevalence and factors of intensive care unit conflicts: the conflicus study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 180(9), 853-860. 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