Topic 2 DQ 2 Description: Discuss potential causes of conflict occurring within health care organizations. What are some principles of negotiation and conflict resolution used by the nurse leader to address conflict? What model or leadership theory would be effective to use in addressing conflict

Topic 2 DQ 2 Description: Discuss potential causes of conflict occurring within health care organizations. What are some principles of negotiation and conflict resolution used by the nurse leader to address conflict? What model or leadership theory would be effective to use in addressing conflict

Topic 2 DQ 2 Example Solution

There are many potential causes of conflict within a health care organizations. The biggest one that stands out to me is personality conflict. In any healthcare organization there are multiple people with different personalities. In a hospital for example you have the support staff, the clinical staff, the physicians, the managers and then upper management to name a few. All want very specific things and outcomes and these can clash at times. There are also different personalities that come into play as well. There are those that are very passive and just complete the tasks that they are told if if they don’t believe that they are right. There are those that are more middle of the road that will speak out if they feel passionately or strongly about something. Then there are those at want to questions everything or believe that they are right no matter what all time. There are also varying degrees in between. This is where conflict can arise when you have multiple people caring for a patient and believe what they are doing is right and what is best for the patient.

The nurse leader will be looked to to help manage conflict and bring about resolution. There are multiple strategies that the nurse leader can use to bring about resolution. The of the more common are compromise, collaboration and mediation. The nurse leader can help facilitate any of these methods of conflict resolution. They can help one or both parties assess what is needed and how a compromise of the two ideas or plans can be reached. The nurse leader can suggest collaboration with the two parties that they may work on the specific problem together and bring together their ideas into a unified solution. The nurse leader can also be a mediator between the two sides if compromise and or collaboration do not prove successful. They can help guide the two parties to come to an agreement and work on unified front.

The model that would be effective in addressing conflict is transformational leadership. This type of leadership “connects with shared values, involved with he team, inspires, motivates, and empowers others to reach a shared vision.” (Smith and Johnson, 2018) This theory would easily lend itself to conflict resolution. This theory focuses on the team aspect and shared values. By having that as a focus point the nurse leader can adapt to different situations and help to resolve conflict with the best outcome possible because it for the betterment of the team and the patient.

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Lahana, E., Tsaras, K., Kalaitzidou, A., Galanis, P., Kaitelidou, D., & Sarafis, P. (2017). Conflicts management in public sector nursing. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 12(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2017.1353787

Smith, C. & Johnson, C.  (2018).  Preparing Nurse Leaders in Nursing Professional Development.  Journal for Nurses in Professional Development,  34 (1),  38-40.  doi: 10.1097/NND.0000000000000404.