Conflicts are an essential part of change management and they can either contribute or disrupt the process of project implementation (Saxton, 2012). Recognizing the indicators of conflict, revealing the motives and goals of the participants of the conflict, having methods of analysis of the conflict situation, and the establishment of a joint search for solutions are the key competencies of the nurse leaders that enable them to deal with complex management problems arising as a consequence of change management. It is crucial to analyze the implications of conflict management in terms of the practicum project to be able to address effectively the possible conflicts that may appear in the process of its execution.
Conflict Management and Role of Leadership
Frequently, a conflict in health care is associated with the violation of the existing rules, practices or regulations, and emotional imbalance. However, a conflict may be beneficial for the Kendall Regional Medical Center (KRMC) regarding the proposed change. The challenge would be that the conflict is not shifted to the area of personal relationships, and it does not go into mutual discrediting but rather brings a new perspective to the proposal. Thus, the nurse leader’s role in this conflict is in negotiating it into a functional context.
For instance, a positional conflict will help to improve the proposed change from stakeholders that will form in opposing parties leading to an objective confrontation (Janss, Rispens, Segers, & Jehn, 2012). This type of conflict will allow the management to assess the operating units more objectively; thus, developing new approaches. In other words, the opposition will create a conflict of constructive tension useful for the organization. However, one of the threats of conflicts in the change process is the possibility of dysfunctional consequences that can be related to a violation of policies, inter and intrapersonal conflicts, overuse of power by the leaders resulting in stress and the increased nurse turnover (Guidroz, Wang, & Perez, 2012).
Conflicts at KRMC
Conflict resolution is a complex multi-step process, which is based on the diagnosis of the confrontation and is expressed in preventing, deterring, and administering the issues (Patton, 2014). Conflict management is characterized by the development of strategies in conflict behavior in suppressing or encouraging it and reducing the level of conflict destruction.
Regarding the practicum project, it can be assumed that possible conflicts may be linked to several factors. For instance, resource scarcity leading to incompatible goals is one of the menaces. The center experiences nursing shortage; consequently, it is predictable that the staff would be reluctant to follow the implemented change due to the increased workload. Also, structural factors may be one of the sources for conflict. Also, the working units consist of diverse workers with different expertise and backgrounds, for that reason, conflicting perceptions related to differences in the employees are probable (Wilson, Talsma, & Martyn, 2011). Moreover, the lack of or insufficient communication between the units that are related to the execution of prevention of complications and PICC line reinsertions in KRMC is possible. Consequently, three types of conflicts are possible, which are task-content oriented, relationship-related, and administrative conflicts.
To deal with the possible conflicts, the following strategies will be utilized: withdrawal, forcing, conciliation, compromise, confrontation. The choice of strategy will depend on the nature of conflict and the parties involved (Johansen, 2012). Nevertheless, confrontation is considered the most effective method of conflict management as it is concerned with reaching a joint goal, which is the main objective of the health care institution.
In conclusion, conflicts are an inevitable part of the change process. The resolution should be legitimized by the organizational culture that is based on values recognized by all the parties. The ongoing work on the formation of conflict interaction skills and competence improving the employees’ performance is an important prerequisite for the effective management of the project.
References
Guidroz, A., Wang, M., & Perez, L. (2012). Developing a model of source-specific interpersonal conflict in health care. Stress & Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 28(1), 69-79.
Janss, R., Rispens, S., Segers, M., & Jehn, K. (2012). What is happening under the surface? Power, conflict, and the performance of medical teams. Medical Education, 46(9), 838-849.
Johansen, M. (2012). Keeping the peace: Conflict management strategies for nurse managers. Nursing Management, 43(2), 50-54.
Patton, C. (2014). Conflict in health care: A Literature Review. The Internet Journal of Healthcare Administration, 9(1), 1-11. Web.
Saxton, R. (2012). Communication skills training to address disruptive physician behavior. AORN, 95(5), 602-611.
Wilson, D., Talsma, A., & Martyn, K. (2011). Mindful staffing: A qualitative description of charge nurses’ decision-making behaviors. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 33(6), 805-824.