1.5 Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution
Teamwork promotes collaboration, enhances client care outcomes, and fosters a positive work environment. It allows team members to pool their skills, knowledge, and expertise to provide comprehensive and holistic care to clients, while also promoting efficiency and saving organizations money. A strong sense of teamwork encourages open communication, mutual support, and shared accountability among team members, leading to improved client safety and team satisfaction.
Conflict is a natural occurrence on teams. It arises when two or more individuals have opposing thoughts, ideas, feelings, perceptions, behaviors, values, opinions, or actions. It is an inevitable part of professional, social, and personal life and can lead to either constructive or destructive consequences. Constructive consequences of conflict include stimulating growth, fostering open and honest communication, increasing group cohesion and commitment to common goals, facilitating understanding and problem-solving, motivating change, and stimulating creativity. On the other hand, conflict can also have destructive consequences, such as producing hostility within a group, fostering rivalry and competition, and creating misperceptions, distrust, and frustration, resulting in group dissatisfaction with the outcome.
For health care teams to be effective, nurses must be skilled in conflict resolution. Conflicts in health care teams can arise due to differences in opinions, communication breakdowns, or varying work styles. When conflicts are left unresolved, they can lead to tension, decreased morale, and compromised client care. Nurse leaders play a crucial role in promoting effective conflict resolution by fostering an environment that encourages respectful dialogue and active listening. In this manner, conflicts can be addressed promptly and constructively. Through mediation and negotiation, a nurse leader can help team members find common ground, reach compromises, and maintain harmonious working relationships.[1] When resolving conflict, the desired goal is for both parties to reach a satisfactory resolution, known as a “win-win solution.” However, it is important to recognize that a win-win solution is not always possible in every situation.
To address conflicts effectively, various strategies can be employed[2]:
- Open communication: Leaders make communication among team members a two-way process where individuals express their thoughts, feelings, and concerns while also actively listening to the thoughts, feelings, and concerns of others.
- Assertive communication: Leaders encourage team members to express themselves in direct, honest, and appropriate ways that also respect the rights of others.
- Respectful communication: Leaders encourage team members to communicate respectfully by maintaining good eye contact, conveying empathy, being aware of nonverbal communication, and focusing on the concern rather than making personal attacks.
By creating a culture of open communication and mutual respect, a nurse leader can improve client outcomes by ensuring that team members work together cohesively, leveraging each other’s strengths, and building on others’ expertise. Moreover, effective conflict resolution allows for the early identification and resolution of issues, preventing conflicts from escalating and negatively impacting the team’s dynamics and client care.[3] Table 1.5 summarizes various conflict resolution approaches.
Table 1.5. Conflict Resolution Approaches[4]
| Conflict Resolution Approach | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Problem- Solving | Parties work together to find a mutually beneficial solution. | In a health care team, conflict arises between two nurses regarding the fairness of client assignments. They engage in open dialogue, actively listening to each other’s concerns, and collaboratively devise a fair and balanced plan for client assignments based on acuity. View sample dialogue of two nursing participating in collaborative problem-solving. |
| Mediation | A neutral third party facilitates communication and negotiation. | A conflict arises between a nurse and a respiratory therapist regarding a client’s care plan. A nurse manager acts as a mediator, guiding both parties through open communication, helping them understand each other’s perspectives, and reaching a resolution through compromise. View sample dialogue of all parties participating in a mediation approach. |
| Compromising | Both parties make concessions to reach a middle ground. | A conflict arises between two nurses regarding the scheduling of a committee meeting. They compromise by adjusting the meeting time to accommodate both parties’ availability and reach a mutually agreeable solution. View sample dialogue of the two parties participating in a compromise approach. |
| Active Listening and Assertively Communicating | Parties express their concerns and actively listen to each other while also using assertive communication. | Two team members have differing opinions on a client’s treatment plan. They express their concerns assertively, while actively listening to understand each other’s viewpoints, leading to a mutually agreed-upon plan that incorporates the best of both perspectives. View sample dialogue of both parties participating in active listening and assertive communication. |
| Escalating Up the Chain of Command | Parties involve higher-level supervisors to intervene. | A conflict between two health care professionals becomes persistent and unresolvable. The issue is escalated to the department head or supervisor, who intervenes to find a resolution and restore cohesiveness and function within the team. View sample dialogue of parties involved in escalating up the chain of command. |
| Avoiding | Parties ignore or withdraw from a conflict. In the short-term, this may be effective in calming heated emotions. However, if this approach is used chronically, it can damage trust and rapport by signaling a lack of interest or commitment.[5] | A conflict arises between two nurses and becomes heated as they discuss a client’s nursing care plan. They agree to take a “time out” and revisit the discussion at a later time. View sample dialogue of two nurses using avoidance as a temporary conflict management strategy. |
| Accommodating | One party resolves the conflict by “giving in” to the other party. This may be useful when one party realizes they are in error or if the other party is an expert or has more experience. However, it is also crucial to be aware of when accommodating might be detrimental to you or your team’s best interest.[6] | A conflict arises when two nurses disagree on the best way to initiate IV access for a client. View sample dialogue on one nurse who uses an accommodating conflict resolution strategy. |
Consider the following example conflict in a health care setting requiring conflict resolution and reflect on conflict resolution strategies that could be implemented.
Scenario: Conflict Requiring Conflict Resolution
In a long-term care facility, Sarah, an LPN/VN, and Emma, a certified nursing assistant, find themselves in a conflict regarding the delegation of tasks and workload distribution. Sarah believes that Emma is not taking on her fair share of responsibilities or providing adequate support to the residents. On the other hand, Emma feels overwhelmed by the assigned workload and believes that Sarah is not acknowledging her efforts. Both parties firmly believe they are “right” within their positions and are unwilling to compromise.
What conflict resolution strategy could be used to satisfactorily address the conflict between these two team members?
- Haack, M. R., & Hughes, L. C. (2019). Conflict resolution styles of nurses and their impact on the work environment. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(2), 406-414. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12668 ↵
- Russotto, J., Tierney, L., & Stype, J. (2019). Conflict resolution strategies used by nurse managers and the impact on the staff nurse. Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(9), 455-461. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000770 ↵
- Ambrose, M. K., Seabert, D., & Schminke, M. (2021). Conflict management and resolution strategies in healthcare organizations. In Handbook of Conflict Management Research. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789908294.00020 ↵
- Haack, M. R., & Hughes, L. C. (2019). Conflict resolution styles of nurses and their impact on the work environment. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(2), 406-414. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12668 ↵
- LinkedIn. (2023). What are some common pitfalls or challenges of using an avoiding style in conflict management? https://www.linkedin.com/advice/1/what-some-common-pitfalls-challenges-using-avoiding ↵
- Indeed. (2025). 5 major conflict management styles for managers. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/conflict-management ↵
A process to address conflict that fosters an environment that encourages respectful dialogue and active listening