Traditional Conflict View

Traditionally, conflict has been viewed as a destructive force to be ignored or silenced; today, many are redefining conflict as an opportunity. Once conflict is approached as a cooperative effort, nurses and other healthcare professionals can restructure trust to enhance professional relationships. By understanding the dynamics of negotiation in areas such as leadership, power, and conflict management, healthcare professionals will improve the quality of their professional practice, relationships and their working environment.
Article Author Diana Ward Collins, RN BSN Legal Nurse Network
This article presents an overview of conflict resolution by introducing: * Conflict management concepts and principles * Strategies for effective negotiation * Useful techniques for conflict management
Healthcare organizations, although extremely complex, have as their mission nothing less than improving the health of patients and their communities. Unfortunately, this lofty goal can be lost amid the conflicting agendas and value systems of individuals and disciplines within the healthcare system. This is, understandably, a frustration for many healthcare professionals.
Working Together
Professionals who are, or should be, working together to provide healthcare services for patients must develop a set of skills for effective communication. These skills include: * Conflict management * Consensus-building through collaboration * Negotiation
These essential skills not only improve patient care, but are vital for personal, professional, and organizational success.
Collaboration—one method of conflict management—is a process by which people and groups work together to achieve a common goal. Collaboration works best when each person involved takes responsibility for his or her own working relationships and quality patient services. For example, imagine there is insufficient staff on a unit. By working collaboratively, nurses can prioritize patient