HA 511_Unit 6 DB_Elizabeth Patten
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Conflict Management
Elizabeth Patten
Department of Healthcare Administration, Park University
HA511: Leadership and Management in Healthcare Systems
Dr. Travis Manroe
November 20, 2023
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TO: Jane Doe, Chief Operating Officer
FROM:
Elizabeth Patten, Human Resources Director
DATE: November 20, 2023
SUBJECT: Managing Conflict in Healthcare
Every organization will experience conflict on some level. Not all conflict is bad, and some conflict can lead to positive organizational change. However, unresolved conflict can lead to a toxic work environment and negatively impact productivity and efficiency. Healthcare professionals are unique in that conflict can directly impact patient care (Kim et al., 2017). Therefore, it must be managed and resolved in a productive manner to keep the environment safe for patients.
Three Substantial Causes of Conflict
While there are many causes of conflict, there are three that I want to focus on today. Poor communication, personality clashes, and poor work environment all play a significant role in healthcare organizational conflict (Healey, 2018, p. 170). Poor communication can quickly lead to misunderstandings between individuals and teams. It is
often caused by “an inability of one employee to clearly articulate his position or needs” (Healey, 2018, p. 171). Additionally, poor listening skills exacerbate the problem. Many people prepare a response before the conversation is over and often judge statements made by the other party quickly without considering their viewpoint (Healey, 2018, p. 171). Personality clashes encompass many other causes of conflict. Sometimes, people do not like who they are working with due to differing values, interests, goals, or behavioral traits (Healey, 2018, p. 171). These clashes can cause conflict to arise rapidly and quickly upset cohesive team dynamics. Poor work environment can mean inadequate, unclear, or unfair policies and procedures (Healey, 2018, p. 170). These practices can erode team cohesion and pit employees against each
other. It can also cause undue stress to teams as responsibilities are not clearly defined.
Each of these types of conflicts must be handled individually, as sweeping generalizations will not resolve the unique problems each type of conflict results in. For example, poor communication must be addressed before personality clashes can be resolved, and although clashes between people may never go away, better communication can help improve how issues are addressed. Negative Outcomes Related to Conflict
There are many negative outcomes related to poor communication, personality differences, and
a bad work environment. Conflict can cause increased stress and anxiety among employees, as well as feelings of defeat and mistrust. This climate can rapidly become demeaning and toxic.
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These feelings can decrease productivity, job satisfaction, employee morale, and cooperation. Additionally, it can increase turnover rates as people try to escape a toxic work culture (University of Minnesota, 2017).
Conflict Types Impacting Nurses and Physicians
Nurses and physicians deal with conflict every day. This can be interpersonal or organizational conflict. Nurses and physicians may have conflict with medical professionals such as other nurses, doctors, and ancillary staff, as well as patients. This can be due to personality clashes, toxic work environment, differing priorities, or unhappy patients and families. Additionally, physicians and nurses may have workplace tension towards the organization, due to differing viewpoints on patient care and policies and procedures implemented by higher level leadership.
Sometimes, this can lead to animosity and mistrust between clinical staff and administration.
The Role of Leadership in Conflict Management
A leader plays an important role in conflict management within their organization and departments. Leaders set the tone for how conflict will be handled. Conflict management should be proactive. For example, a leader should set the expectation that professionalism and respect are the standard for how employees should treat one another. They should work to build a team mentality and minimize clique development so that the team remains collaborative. Building a culture of respect, collaboration, and understanding can help prevent conflicts from starting. Additionally, a leader must be able to moderate conflict between employees and different units when it does arise.
Resolved conflicts can make organizations stronger and better prepared to handle future conflicts. Leaders play an important role in how conflict is handled and resolved within their organizations. Knowing how to manage conflict is a crucial skill for all healthcare leaders so patient care is not impacted when issues arise in their workplaces.
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References
Healey, B. J. (2018). Principles of healthcare leadership. Health Administration Press.
Kim, S., Bochatay, N., Relyea-Chew, A., Buttrick, E., Amdahl, C., Kim, L., Frans, E., Mossanen, M., Khandekar, A., Fehr, R., & Lee, Y.-M. (2017). Individual, interpersonal, and organisational factors of healthcare conflict: A scoping review. Journal of Interprofessional Care
, 31
(3), 282–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2016.1272558
University of Minnesota. (2017). Organizational behavior. Open.lib.umn.edu