Class 10 Conflict management Flashcards
What are the 5 conflict management styles?
- Competing
- Collaborating
- Compromising
- Avoiding
- Accommodating
Factors for managing conflict
Context ● Does leadership respect staff concerns ● Workplace cultures that condone “shame
and blame”
● Use of compromise to avoid dealing with
the conflict
● Understanding that stress leads to poor
patient outcomes
What is contemporary thinking
conflict often leads to new
ways of thinking to change behavior
They set the tone for good behavior and have
a responsibility to address workplace conflict
Managers
Indirect cost of conflict
● Loss of team morale, loss of motivation for
organizational change, damaged workplace
relationships, and unresolved tensions that
lead to future conflicts ● Reputation of an organization and of care
professionals; negative publicity/media
coverage ● Emotional costs
Direct cost of conflict
● Decreased managerial productivity ● Turnover costs, disability/stress claims ● Costs associated with increased expenditures
for patients with preventable, poor, or adverse
outcomes ● Litigation costs and lost work time (chronic
illness, stress)
● Disagreement in values or beliefs within oneself or
between people that causes harm or the potential to
cause harm
● If successfully managed, can produce high quality,
creative solutions
● Goal: create a work environment that uses conflict
constructively as a way to recognize differences,
create innovation, and productivity
Conflict
● One person doesn’t pursue concerns with the other person
● Deny, suppress or avoid the problem to escape, “pass the buck”, or procrastinate
● Might withdraw fromthe situation
● Non-confrontational approach
● Lose-lose situation
(decreased assertiveness, not cooperative)
AVOIDING
When to use Avoiding Strategy in conflicts
• Need “cool down”
• Acting upon conflict can lead to escalation
• No chance of resolution, or others can resolve conflict
• More information is needed, when issues are trivial or tactical, or not worth the effort
● Each party relinquishes something to produce an acceptable decision to both
● Democratic, but neither party gets what it wants (everyone is appeased to some degree)
● Less time consuming when there is a willingness to bargain
● Moderate cooperative, and moderate assertive
COMPROMISING
When to use Compromising Strategy in a conflict?
● Two powerful sides are committed to mutually exclusive goals
● Used for temporary solution to complex problems or inconsequential issues
● Time constraints call for a prompt solution
● Collaboration and competing fail
• One party deliberately sacrifices own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other
• Compliment, downplay differences, focus on minor disagreements • Reduces the emotional component of the conflict
• Focuses on similarities while minimizing differences; preserves harmony
• Non-confrontational
• Rarely resolves conflict (creates a lose-win situation)
Accommodating / Smoothing
When Accommodating/ Smoothing strategy when??
● Appropriate in minor differences
● Used when the issue is more important to the other
party or if one party is outmatched (power differential)
● When other people’s solutions appear to be better
or when you made a mistake
● “Builds up credit” for later
● Can be used to save face or when preserving harmonious relationships is important
● One party pursues what it wants regardless of the cost to others
● A control oriented approach
● High concern for self, and power oriented
● Relies on the use of force or authority
● Decisions that are forced tend to produce unsatisfactory results
● Creates a win- lose situation
Competing
When to use Competing Strategy?
• Important and unpopular decisions need to be made
• Outcome is critical (ie., emergencies, safety)
• An individual is right about the issues that are vital to group welfare
• Used when settling the issue is more important than preserving the relationship
• Used with aggressive people or when one party
has more knowledge than another
People work together to establish a common priority goal
• All must be open to info sharing
• Equal power
• Respect for each others’ knowledge and expertise
• Gives a long-term resolution
• Goal: mutually solve the problem & find a solution by consensus
• Takes time but is most meaningful and creates a win-win
COLLABORATION
● Seeking creative, integrative solutions
● Both sides’ concerns are important
● Supports a balance between self and others in the workplace
Collaboration
● Encouraging positive working relations
● Fostering open communication and collaborative practices
● Developing constructive approaches to conflict
● Role modelling professionalism (Almost,
2006)
ROLE OF THE LEADER IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.
Violence
Violence between individuals
Interpersonal Violence
What are violence prevention recommendations for leaders
●Violence risk assessment tool Education
● using risk assessment tool
● recognizing triggers
● Using de-escalation techniques
Psychological harassment towards those less
powerful than themselves
Horizontal/lateral violence/bullying
Includes: gossip, Innuendo (verbal and nonverbal), scapegoating, passive-aggressive behavior, disrespecting privacy, and bullying
Horizontal/lateral violence/bullying
What are preventative strategies for interpersonal violence
● Proactive approach- zero tolerance policies
● Risk assessment
● Named and raised at staff meetings
● Training in conflict management
● Use behavioural and de-escalation techniques
● Reporting that does not lead to retaliation
