Conflict Management Styles

In Week 10, you considered how ethical, moral, and legal dilemmas can provoke internal conflict when a nurse’s values are not in alignment with the apparent demands of a situation or with others’ values, as well as external conflict that can arise as these dynamics are played out. Of course, conflict can also emerge through seemingly simple issues of little consequence—little consequence, that is, except when they are not properly managed.

Nurse leaders need to be familiar with conflict management styles and the impact these styles can have on interpersonal dynamics, and, ultimately, patient care. For this Discussion, you evaluate a situation marked by conflict and consider how conflict management strategies could be applied to promote positive results.

To prepare:

Consider a conflict situation you witnessed or were engaged in within your practice setting. Then, proceed as follows:

Think about who was involved, how it was resolved (if it was), and how it might have been handled more effectively.

Identify the conflict management style(s) employed by various individuals, including ineffective responses or no response to the situation.

Evaluate your personal response to this conflict.

What do your thoughts and actions in this and other conflict situations reveal about your typical approach to conflict?

On the Week 11 Discussion Board, post on or before Day 3 a description of how you handled or avoided a conflict, as well as the results of your approach. Explain how would you respond to this conflict today and/or what steps you would take to improve your comfort level and skill for managing conflict in the future (including specific conflict management strategies you would use). Explain how conflict management relates to your effectiveness as a leader.