A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay

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A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay

Week 5 Assignment 1: A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration
Value: 100 points

Due: Day 7

Grading Category: Writing Assignments

Instructions
Imagine that you are a leadership consultant.

Use your example of conflict in your professional practice (from Week 4 Discussion 1: Conflict in the Workplace) I WILL INCLUDE THE PAPER WRITTEN ON WORKPLACE CONFLICT THAT WAS LAST WEEKS ASSIGNMENT TO BUILD OFF THAT EXAMPLE and build on the readings, videos, and peer input you received. I can also send a copy of the one reply from my peer i got to include those strategies if needed 

Critically analyze the situation and create a plan that would have helped to resolve the conflict and promote collaboration among the group.
Your plan should include a minimum of five scholarly references not counting assigned texts, and be 7 to 8 pages long (page count does not include the cover or references list). Review your conflict scenario and include the following:

1.   Comprehension: Review the details of the conflict scenario, identifying the type and effects of the conflict.

2.    Application: Relate course content on delegation, empowerment, group dynamics, and constructive group roles and behaviors to the identified conflict scenario.

3.    Analysis/Synthesis: Clarify understanding of the internal and external variables contributing to the conflict. Create a plan that would have helped to resolve the conflict and promote a high- functioning health care team.

4.   Evaluation: Summarize the value of effective conflict- resolution skills for the nurse leader.

Please refer to the Grading Rubric for details on how this activity will be graded. Will send Rubric separately AND will provide last week’s discussion to base this off of - that would be included in it ( that alone is 2 pages in itself you may only have to write about 5 pages just include my two pages that i submit to you if that’s what the assignment is asking you to do and it should be 7 total if that makes sense - read the assignment and see if you understand this if not we can talk about it 
Also my professor LOVES using headers in the papers as breaking it down by each parts in the paper 
I will forward the RUBRIC AND MY LAST WEEKS NURSING CONFLICT PAPER / discussion this is based off and how i would handle it as a leadership consultant .

A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration

Team work and collaboration in healthcare settings is very critical since it impacts on quality of care offered to patients. Treatment of patients entails coming up with care plans that require the effort of various nurses and other health providers. If there is unresolved conflict between nurses or any team member, it results to conflicts, resentment and communication breakdown which in turn affect service delivery and adherence to patients’ care plans. Therefore, it is necessary to resolve any conflict that arise with a bid to promote collaboration. This essay presents a consultant plan to resolve conflicts by reviewing the conflict scenario, assessing group roles and dynamic in the scenario, identifying factors contributing to the conflict, and summarizing effective conflict-resolution skills that a nurse leader should possess to manage conflicts.A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay

Review of Conflict

As a leadership consultant called in to develop a plan forconflict resolution, I was asked to look into a case that involved two nurses, one a case manager and the other a primary nurse in a local hospital. The caregivers were part of the same team, which was active in the morning. Team conflicts can be categorized under relationship conflicts, task conflicts or process conflicts (Liu et al., 2020). The case was a relationship conflict, interpersonal mismatch that resulted in tension.The nurse manager observed that the case manager, herein referred to as Jane, acted in an unprofessional manner to the primary nurse, herein referred to as Jenn.  The nurse manager noticed that Jane always seemed to dispute Jenn’s claims and would talk over her to belittle the information she was providing. Moreover, Jane’s behavior was most pronounced in the presence of doctors and directed only at Jenn. At first, the nurse manager thought that Jane was simply having some difficulties that caused her stress, which was attributed to an external cause since her workload had not changed much over the last three months and her patients responded well to her.A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay

This interpersonal conflict was a cause for concern. The nurse manager approached Jenn to understand why there was tension between her and Jane during the morning rounds. She affirmed Jenn’s value to the team and encouraged her to open up a communication channel with Jane to understand her actions, and resolve the conflict. Maybe Jane did not realize how much her incivility was affecting Jenn. The nurse manager reiterated that communication was key to creating mutual trust and healthy working relationships amongst staff.A few days later, during the morning rounds, the nurse manager noted that Jane was no longer disputing Jenn’s claims, neither did she talk over her. The nurse manager asked Jenn about the change, to which Jenn responded that they had come to an understanding. Jenn had approached Jane in a neutral environment, and was considerate of her (Jane’s) reaction, direct and unambiguous in presenting her perspective of how being undermined in front of colleagues had made her feel. Jane had apologized even tough Jenn felt that Jane was defensive about the whole thing. Eventually, the nurse manager had asked Jenn, whyhad Jane undermined her and talked over her in the first place. It is for this reason that I was called in to understand the group dynamics of the hospital staff and create a plan to resolve conflict and promote collaboration.



 


Delegation, Empowerment, and Group Dynamics.


Delegation is the process of assigningresponsibility to other members of the nursing team while retaining accountability for the outcome (Barrow&Sharma, 2020). Delegation usually takes a top-down approach where leaders delegate their responsibilities to members of their team most capable of carrying them out even if they are not licensed for them. Here, it is crucial to note that responsibilities involving professional judgment, say, in regard to patient care, cannot be delegated as it would amount to professional malfeasance if negative consequences arose from the delegation action.A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay


In nursing practice, empowerment means the ability to effectively motivate and mobilize self and others to accomplish positive outcomes in the work environment. There are five factors that contribute to nurse empowerment: autonomy, fairness, manageable workload, decision-making, and recognition. Radhakrishnan andAnuchithra(2016) argue that empowerment contrasts power in that while power denotes having control over other people, empowerment denotes a decisive sharing of authority with others. Empowerment has a direct effect on staff productivity, retention, patient safety and care, and staff morale. Education upgrades, improving leadership skills, evidence-based practice (EBP) cheerleading, and being a positive change agent are some of the actions that make nurses empowered professionals.


Group dynamics refers to the psychological processes and behaviors within and between social groups that structure how people relate to each other. In an era when healthcare organizations are overwhelmed by caseloads, complex work and life environment, and resource constraints, group dynamics play a significant role in providingdefense against stress by availing assistance with challenging tasks, emotional support, and a sense of companionship in communal activities. Interpersonal dynamics are the foundation upon which conflict is created and resolved (Shah, 2017).


Interpersonal conflicts are unavoidable in any work setting, and maintaining healthy group dynamics helps in their resolution. Constructive group roles and behaviors are useful to achieving this goal.  The constructive group roles and behaviors a nurse leader can promote include consistency in expectations, considering the whole team in scheduling activities, being prompt in dealing  with a conflict, respect, maintaining healthy boundaries, good listening skills, and openness to feedback, whether good or bad.Being consistent with expectations, both spoken and unspoken, can help stave off some uncomfortable conversations (Angelo, 2019). Standards such as dress code, civil mannerisms, attendance, paid leave, and other norms should be reviewed at least once annually in a team meeting so that the caregiving team knows what is expected of them. Beyond consistency, a nurse leader should follow through with enforcement of the standards fairly to everyone. Imagine a team where members are subject to different standards, or worse,the standards are consistent but their follow-through erratic. That would be a very discouraged and demoralized team.


In considering the whole team, nurse leaders need to ensure that slackers are encouraged to pull their weight. No one likes to be paired with a person who does not do their fair share of the work. Conflicts should be resolved as soon as possible after they occur. There is consideration here that the conflicting parties need some time to cool off, but the conflict should not be allowed to go unsolved for more than a few days. The conflicting parties should first always be reminded the purpose and goal of the team, the higher ideal of serving patients and staff.A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay


Respect for each other helps in fostering healthy team dynamics. Before making a comment about another team member, one should pause and remember that they are a professional with talents, skills, training and diverse life experiences, just as you do (Angelo, 2019). The team member may be handling multiple work and personal issues and they could be out of their depth for the moment. With this in mind, it is easier to maintain the personal boundaries that are so crucial to healthy team dynamics, by acknowledging others as their own self.


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Good listening skills are helpful in conflict resolution because they allow for an open channel of communication. Listening is an important skill for a nurse leader to master. Openness to feedback is a useful learning tool as it helps one improve themselves. Openness to feedback and good listening skills go hand-in-hand because one learns not to be defensive or adopt the victim mentality with regard to negative feedback. More importantly, a nurse can ask for feedback from team members and grow by listening intently. When feedback is asked for, one is less likely to act defensively because they are more open to it. In the conflict between Jane and Jenn, Jane pushed back and this made Jenn feel like the whole situation was imagined. There needs to be more from Jane for there to be a good working relationship. Angelo (2019) asserts that recognition and positive affirmation help strengthen relationships and foster healthy team dynamics.


Variables Contributing to the Conflict, and Conflict Resolution Planning


The internal variables contributing to the conflict between Jane and Jenn are based on their interpersonal relationship with the rest of the caregivers in the organization. The interpersonal conflict between Jane and Jenn could have developed from altered interpersonal relationship with and among their colleagues. Also, the conflict could have developed from insufficient understanding of the situation by the two care-givers. The first scenario (where the root of the conflict was from altered interpersonal relationships among colleagues) is a more likely scenario.


The reasoning behind that argument is because Jane belittled and disputed Jenn’s claims in the presence of other nursing staff and moreso doctors. This differs from bullying where the interpersonal conflicts are more direct between the perpetrator and the victim. In essence, Jane was attacking Jenn’s credibility, one of the key components of the trust factor. It is unknown whether Jane’s attacks on Jenn were intentional or not, but the eventual outcome of such an action is the loss of trust team members have placed in the victim, and ultimately poor reputation. It is good that the nurse manager observed this and queried Jenn on the conflict.As such, it is crucial to foster harmonious group dynamics. Interpersonal dynamics are subtly complex and an organization needs policies to identify interpersonal tensions and have plans to resolve them. Shah (2017) observes that conflicts of the interpersonal kind are the most frequent and most difficult types of conflicts experienced by registered nurses in the work place.The external variables that could be contributing to the conflict between Jane and Jenn could range from personal issues, such as with health and stress, or family concerns. However, it is difficult to ascertain what such issues would be given the limited information provided.A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay


Evaluation on Value of Effective Conflict- Resolution Skills for the Nurse Leader.


The nurse leader’s plan for resolving conflicts and creating a high-functioning team includes:


    

  1. Being a role model where a nurse manager leads by setting the standards, and being consistent in aligning to them.
    2. 

  2. Being helpful of individual’s needs with the group.
    3. 

  3. Understanding the organization and its culture.
    4. 

  4. Respecting team members’ beliefs and values.
    5. 

  5. Focusing on issues and not personalities.
    6. 

  6. Maintaining privacy and confidentiality
    7. 

  7. Giving equal time to each team member.
    8. 

  8. Exploring alternative solutions.
    9. 

  9. Selecting the mutually agreed upon solution to act upon.
    10. 

  10. Laying out the implementation plan for the solution.
    11. 

  11. Executing the plan and invite feedback from team members. Also, provide feedback to members.
    12. 



Effective communication and collaboration are the goals of the above plan, as well as facilitators to its success. Effective communication makes up an important part of high-performance health care teams and nurse leaders must take care in building respectful, meaningful and cooperative relationships amongst team members. Team members need to perform essential goal maintenance tasks within the team, whilst reducing the execution of dysfunctional roles. The formal and informal leadership of a caregiving team also needs to be effective, and effective nurse leaders facilitate sharing of goal-relevant information and conflict management. Most critically, effective interpersonal communication among team members build cooperative networks and collaboration.


Summary


Nurse leaders help in conflict resolution by facilitating communication and by role-modeling. Communication helps because when a team is able to effectively communicate and express feelings respectfully, the team is able to move forward (Pipas. 2020). Moreover, there are improved interpersonal dynamics that build collaboration. Role modelling applies where nurse leaders set high standards of practice for their team, and are consistent in their application to self and others. Effective conflict-resolution skills contribute to positive team dynamics, which directly affect employee retention and clinical outcomes for patients. Ultimately, effective conflict resolution skills result in high-performing teams that are efficient at delivering care to patients.A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay


 


References


Angelo, E. (2019). Managing interpersonal conflict: Steps for success. Nursing management, 50(6), 22.


Barrow, J. M., & Sharma, S. (2020). Five Rights of Nursing Delegation. In StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island: StatPearls Publishing.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519519/


Kreps, G. L. (2016). Communication and effective interprofessional health care teams. Int Arch 


            Nurs Health Care, 2, 051.


Liu, H. Y., Wang, I. T., Hsu, D. Y., Huang, D. H., Chen, N. H., Han, C. Y., & Han, H. M. (2020). Conflict and interactions on interdisciplinary nursing student teams: The moderating effects of spontaneous communication. Nurse Education Today, 94, 104562.


Pipas, C. F. (2020). Two Habits of a Healthy Team: Managing Conflict and Practicing Gratitude. Family Practice Management, 27(4), 11-16.


Radhakrishnan, G., &Anuchithra, S. (2016). Nursing Empowerment for Quality Improvement. International Journal of Advances in Nursing Management, 4(3), 317-320.


Shah, M. (2017). Impact of interpersonal conflict in health care setting on patient care; the role of nursing leadership style on resolving the conflict. Nurse & Care Open Acces Journal, 2(2), 00031. A Plan to Resolve Conflict and Promote Collaboration Essay