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You have learned what creates conflict, and how varying leadership styles can influence conflict management. On this page, we will discuss how conflict can be managed, mitigated, and prevented. Several strategies will be presented, as well as a useful tool.
First, a quick review of what factors lead to and escalate conflict.
The antecedents of conflict:
The antecedents of conflict:
Individual Characteristics
Emotional Intelligence
Personality
Attitude
Behaviour
All of the above are influenced by culture, values, and education. These can be tough to change!
Contextual factors
The job and workplace/physical space/environment
Shift work and its effects
Team size and diversity
Workload and staffing
Role ambiguity
Lack of clarity around scope of practice
Staff involvement in decision making
Resource allocation
Skill and attitude of manager
Interpersonal factors
Communication
Manager's leadership style
(Almost et al., 2016; RNAO, 2012).
How can Individual Characteristics be addressed to manage or mitigate conflict?
How can Individual Characteristics be addressed to manage or mitigate conflict?
Self-reflection can be a potent conflict mitigation and management strategy in the Individual Characteristics domain of antecedents to conflict. Self-reflective activities can build self-awareness and deepen an individual's ability to understand their own personal attitudes, values and beliefs, and biases and how these affect their relationships in the workplace. This can help one to recognize their personal stress and in doing so uncover ways to cope or destress. Emotional Intelligence can be developed and management of emotions can also improve decision making, judgement skills, and visualization of better outcomes.
(Almost et al., 2016; RNAO, 2012).
Some reflective practices include meditation and journaling.
Are there any reflective practices that you participate in?
How can Contextual factors be addressed to manage or mitigate conflict?
How can Contextual factors be addressed to manage or mitigate conflict?
Strategies to address the domain of Contextual factors in antecedents of conflict should be creative and designed by teams. Members of the teams should have the opportunity to give input and provide feedback. They should feel like their input is valuable and makes a real difference. Organizations can support systems and processes that promote team functioning, respect diversity, and promote a culture of inclusivity.
(Almost et al., 2016; RNAO, 2012)
Desired outcomes should be identified; quality indicators should be regularly assessed and reassessed. Action plans should communicated to all members of the team.
Evidence-based strategies should be implemented to empower leaders who possess self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the competencies to manage conflict.
Leaders who possess the above should be recognized and retained. Active recruitment for future leaders who possess these characteristics should be undertaken. A mentorship program to cultivate this form of leadership should be implemented.
Managers and leaders must be held accountable for effective or ineffective management styles.
(Almost et al., 2016; RNAO, 2012)
How can Interpersonal factors be addressed to manage or mitigate conflict?
How can Interpersonal factors be addressed to manage or mitigate conflict?
Communication is an important contributor to the interpersonal antecedents to conflict. Improving communication requires that an individual take responsibility for their contribution to conflict and be willing to find solutions and agrees to develop their communication skills. Communication needs to be respectful; participants need to practice humility and empathy. We must be able to talk about differences and focus on problems, not people.
Managers should use transformational leadership; they should be engaged, motivating, inspiring, and act as role models. They should have an inspiring vision, provide mentorship, and be sensitive to their employees' needs. They should have insight into their own behaviours, use reflective practice, and strengthen their own emotional intelligence.
Sound too good to be true? Have you ever had a manager like this?
(Almost et al., 2016; RNAO, 2012)
Organizations should cultivate conflict management competencies in all employees, including physicians and nurses by providing mandatory ongoing, accessible education that is available to all shift workers. Participants will develop clear communication and mastery of emotional intelligence skills; and practice cooperative and active styles of conflict management. Refresher courses should be regularly offered.
Organizations should support team building exercises and development or enhancement of team identity, foster cohesiveness and trust, and create a culture of safety. A clear code of conduct of expected behaviours and clearly defined unacceptable behaviours – and consequences – should be enacted.
Have you participated in any team building exercises? Were they mandatory or voluntary?
(Almost et al., 2016; RNAO, 2012)
In this next section, we will introduce a tool or two to deal with Interpersonal workplace conflict.
The O.F.T.E.N. Strategy
The O.F.T.E.N. Strategy
Adapted from the Awareness Wheel, the O.F.T.E.N. Strategy is a tool that allows for the initiation of an unemotional, non-confrontational and objective conflict resolution-focused conversation. The mnemonic is useful to recall during intensive, stressful moments such as a conversation about conflict.
(Welch, 2001)
O: Observation – objective, factual description of what happened
F: Feelings – Articulation of the emotions using “I” statements e.g. I feel worried, I felt scared
T: Thinking – sharing one’s thoughts about the observed happenings
E: Expectations – to articulate and clarify the expectations of involved parties
N: Negotiation – involved parties compromise or collaborate possible ways to meet the stated expectations and come to agreement on a documented plan of action.
(Welch, 2001)
The Learning Conversation
The Learning Conversation
“Many of the problems or conflicts between people and groups that destroy collaboration are actually a product of their different experiences” (Bushe, 2009).
Learning Conversations are purposeful, structured interactions that can lead to positive changes and enhance collaboration. The Experience Cube is a template to guide these potentially emotionally charged, difficult conversations. It can assist the individual embroiled in conflict to describe their experience to others, and also allows the individual to fully understand another's experience.
(Welch, 2001)
Similar to the "O.F.T.E.N. Strategy" described above, the Experience Cube requires participants to use "I" statements to:
1. articulate their observations as though through the lens of a camera – state what happened without embellishing with emotion or judgements – just facts. "I observe..."
2. explain their thoughts about what happened, their perceptions and perspective, their assumptions, beliefs, judgements – how they fill in the story about what happened. This is where their ideas about what the other person is thinking and feeling come out, and the biased tendency towards negative projection is often worse than the reality. "I think..."
3. clarify their feelings, using words for real emotions, such as, simply, mad, bad, sad, or glad. This does not mean just saying “I feel as though you could have handled things better.” It means truly exploring their emotional reactions. "I feel..."
4. clearly describe the outcome they want to gain from the conversation. "I want..."
The Experience Cube enables users to explore and understand their differing experiences of situations that lead to conflict, to clarify misconceptions and misunderstandings, and to recognize that their individual perception of reality is so unique and personal that it is unfair to make assumptions without knowing the other person’s perspective.
(Welch, 2001)
Below is a video that describes the Experience Cube and how to use it.
What has your experience of workplace conflict been? How did you handle it? Did you use any specific conflict resolution tools or strategies?
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