Change management involves the possibility of conflict situations; however, it can be both dangerous and beneficial to the organization. In many settings, a conflict might help to identify the diversity of points of view, give additional information about the proposed changes, and identify a greater number of alternatives (Johansen, 2012). It makes the process of introducing and implementing changes more efficient, and it can contribute to a more successful implementation of change management. Defining indicators of conflict, revealing the motives and goals of the participants, the knowledge of methods of analysis of the conflict situations, as well as the ability to create a joint search for solutions are the core competencies of effective nurse leaders. In a practicum project environment, it can be assumed that conflicts are inevitable; consequently, it is crucial to analyze the aspects of conflict management to be able to address the possible issues correctly.
Conflict Management and Role of Leadership
As a rule, conflicts arise in connection with the emotional tension between the employees, conflicting views on the regulations or innovations, the reluctance to change the established practices and the violation of rules implemented to support the change. To avoid such conflicts that follow the destructive path, the KRMC management should ensure that the staff do not resort to the discrediting tactics towards each other but rather express their constructive opinions and suggestions on the proposed amendments.
Thus, the manager will be able to change the arising conflicts in a functional context (Patton, 2014). For instance, an exchange of views between the key stakeholders will lead to an objective confrontation instead of the rise in emotional pressure. Also, this situation will allow the leadership to assess the operating units objectively. In other words, the opposition will create a conflict of constructive tension beneficial for the organization. However, managers should remember that one of the threats of conflict is its dysfunctional consequences that may be associated with the impaired corporate policy and abuse of power by the leadership. These consequences can lead to a failure of the project as well as widen the gap in the labor force and reduce the internal and external communication (Balzer Riley, 2014).
Conflicts at KRMC
The regulation of conflicts implies the practices to prevent, deter, and administer the contradictive issues. The possible conflicts at the center may be associated with several aspects. For example, labor shortages may lead to the incompatibility of goals and the emotional overload of the workers (Patton, 2014). Due to the high nurse turnover in the organization, the employees may resist the change due to the increased load as, in addition to the usual workload, they will need to take the necessary training and practice. Moreover, the center’s labor background is diverse; the staff has different levels of training and skills, which may lead to contradictory views when implementing the change project. As mentioned above, communication is an important aspect of the health care institution, and possible conflicts can exacerbate the existing problem of poor communication between the units (Balzer Riley, 2014). Thus, the administrative, task-oriented, and interpersonal conflicts are the most predictable ones in the KRMC.
The resolution of conflicts should be legitimized by the corporate culture. The leadership shall apply effective strategies of conflict management such as withdrawal, forcing, conciliation, compromise, or confrontation according to the nature of the confrontation (Johansen, 2012). It is worth noting that confrontation is the most suitable for KRMC given the specificity of the institution and its personnel since it is aimed at achieving a joint objective, which is the main goal of the health care facility.
References
Balzer Riley, J. (2014). Communication in nursing. New York, NY: Elsevier.
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.