Conflicts in the work environment are unavoidable, including in healthcare settings. Nurse leaders are often at the forefront of managing situations involving diverse healthcare teams. For this reason, nurse leaders must possess effective conflict resolution skills. Understanding how to approach and resolve conflicts helps identify underlying issues and create better solutions.
Millersville University’s online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – Nursing Leadership program gives nurses the foundation to serve as effective nurse leaders, including in conflict resolution scenarios. Through courses like Leading Others and Organizations, students learn how to navigate complex healthcare environments, resolve conflicts and lead their teams toward success.
Leadership Styles: The Role of Nurse Leaders in Resolving Conflict
Nurse leaders apply their high-level nursing expertise with strong business acumen to manage teams. They can influence the work environment by employing various leadership styles to inspire, guide and support their teams, adapting their approach to meet the needs of different situations and staff. The American Nurses Association (ANA) outlines these leadership styles in nursing:
- Transformational: encourages and motivates staff through a shared vision
- Autocratic: makes decisions with little input from others, often effective in emergencies
- Laissez-Faire: provides minimal supervision and promotes team autonomy
- Democratic: values input from all members and encourages collaboration
- Servant: considers the needs of the team, as well as individuals
- Situational: analyzes the situation and determines the best approach
- Transactional: focuses on structure, clear goals and rewards, as well as maintaining routine and managing performance through established policies
Leaders should also be adaptable, using a combination of leadership styles to address different situations effectively. Understanding and applying the right leadership style is essential for fostering a positive work environment, improving team cohesion and achieving optimal patient outcomes.
Types of Conflict in Healthcare Settings
To enhance patient care and staff morale, nurse leaders must identify and understand the various types of conflicts and create effective strategies to address and resolve them, according to the ANA. Disagreements may occur due to perceived unfairness in work assignments, differences in personality, miscommunication or patient care approaches. If not managed properly, these conflicts can lead to the team disconnecting and reduced quality of care.
Additionally, interdisciplinary conflicts are also common. These conflicts often stem from differences in professional perspectives, communication barriers and hierarchy within the healthcare organizations. Such disputes can impact patient care coordination and overall team effectiveness. Nurses frequently encounter conflicts with patients and their families as well. Unmet expectations, communication issues or differing opinions on treatment plans are often the culprit. Effective resolution of these conflicts is essential to maintain trust and ensure patient satisfaction. Nurse leaders must skillfully manage this wide range of conflicts to foster a collaborative and productive work environment.
Strategies for Building Stronger Healthcare Teams Using Conflict Resolution
The ANA notes that conflict resolution in nursing requires effective communication and attentive listening. Nurse leaders must do the following to navigate conflicts successfully:
- communicate effectively
- employ mediation and negotiation skills
- identify the underlying issue
- encourage empathy
- seek compromise
- provide guidance, education and training
- encourage professional behavior
- follow the organization’s policies and procedures for conflict resolution
- document the conflict and follow up in a timely manner
While the above are crucial to conflict resolution, there are many theory-based approaches you can employ. Additionally, these five strategies that fall into the approaches above can be used to resolve conflict:
- Accommodation: This strategy is used when escalating the conflict will cause significant disruption.
- Collaboration: Evaluate different views and combine them to create unique solutions.
- Compromise: This is often used as a bargaining strategy.
- Avoidance: This is a short-term solution for when the situation is intense.
- Competition: The person with more power resolves the conflict.
These strategies help nurse leaders empower their team members by involving them in the conflict resolution process, contributing to a more resilient and unified healthcare team.
Team-building Strategies
In addition to utilizing conflict resolution tactics, nurse leaders must prioritize team-building strategies to reduce strain among team members, boost team morale and increase team performance. The ANA provides nurse leaders with seven ways to promote a positive work environment. In addition to effective communication and collaboration, the ANA stresses that nurse leaders advocate for professional development, maintain appropriate staffing ratios, encourage a good work-life balance, recognize the hard work of their staff, and prioritize psychological and physical safety.
Promoting a positive work environment creates a culture of respect and support, reduces stress and burnout among healthcare professionals, and increases job satisfaction and retention rates.
How an Advanced Nursing Degree Can Help
Millersville University online MSN – Nursing Leadership program provides nurses with a strong foundation in leadership and conflict resolution. Equipped with foundational knowledge in nursing leadership, graduates have the tools to identify conflict signs and promote a collaborative, healthy environment. As one Lippincott Open Access article notes, “Interpersonal conflict can critically hamper communication, leading to errors and patient harm.” This means nurse leaders are critical to organizational and patient success.
Learn more about Millersville University’s online MSN – Nursing Leadership program.
