Presented By:

DOLORES Y. CASIO, RN,MAN

Lectures taken from:

ATTY ARIEL G. RONQUILLO
Assistant Commissioner
Civil Service Commission
Nursing Leadership and
Management
Ateneo School of Business,
Makati City
OBJECTIVES
DEFINE, APPLY THE SKILLS and CONQUER CONFLICT

 Participants will be able to define conflict, its nature,

scope and conditions.
 To learn conflict management skills and the
management styles for different circumstances.
 Discover oneself and others in conflicting and difficult
situation.
  Occurs when parties with
CONFLICT contrasting goals come in
contact with one another. It is a
situation where the interest,
needs, values, concerns of two
or more people appear to be
incompatible.

 Opposition arising from

disagreement about goals,
thoughts or emotions within or
among individuals, teams,
departments or organizations.
OBJECTIVES
DEFINE, APPLY THE SKILLS and CONQUER CONFLICT

 Participants will be able to define conflict, its nature, scope

and conditions.
 To learn conflict management skills and the management
styles for different circumstances.
 Discover oneself and others in conflicting and difficult
situation.
WORKPLACE
CONFLICT  A condition between or
among workers whose
jobs are
interdependent, who
feel angry, who
perceive the other/s as
being at fault, and who
act in ways that cause
problem/s in the
organization.
 Conflict.
How Do You See It?
How Do You See It?

OBJECTIVES
 To understand our
perception of conflict
 To consider a different
perspective on conflict
 To learn techniques to
better handle conflict
 To build trust
 An Enduring Legacy

“Be the change that you want

to see in the world”
- Mohandas K. Gandhi
 CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT
 It consists of interventions designed to reduce
excessive conflict, and in some instances, to
increase insufficient conflict. Individuals and
organizations use various approaches to
manage conflict. The approach used is likely
to be influenced by a person’s fundamental
attitude toward conflict: negative, positive or
balanced.
AVOIDANCE STYLE (LOSE-LOSE)

 Withdrawing from conflict situations

or remaining neutral
 Declines to confront conflict and think
of situations to avoid: unavailable for
conferences, delay answering
“problem” memos, or refuses to get
involved in a conflict.
 When unresolved conflicts affect
achievement of goals, the avoidance
style leads to negative results for
the organization.
SMOOTHING STYLE (LOSE-WIN)
 Represents minimizing or suppressing real
or perceived differences while focusing
on the others’ views of the situation.
 Might reason that “if it makes the others
happy, I won’t challenge their views”, or
“I don’t want to hurt the feelings of
others”; “we shouldn’t risk our
friendship so let’s not worry too much
about the problem”
 Appeals for cooperation and try to reduce
tensions and stress by offering
reassurance and support for the other’s
views.
FORCING (WIN-LOSE) STYLE
 Involves use of pressure, coercion and other
forms of power to dominate another person
or group to accept one’s own views of the
situation.
 Produces outcomes satisfactory to only one of
the parties.
 Uses forcing phrases such as “If you don’t like
the way things are run, get out”; “If you
can’t learn to cooperate, I will hire someone
else”.
 May threaten such as demotion, dismissal,
negative performance evaluations, and
other punishments to win or resolve such
as through collaborative style
 Causes emotional stress and is a demotivator to
better work performance
 Relevant information and other possible
alternatives are usually ignored.
COMPROMISING/BARGAINING STYLE
 Involves willingness of all parties to concede some
of their own views and focus on the other’s views to
reach an agreement.
 Attitude is “I let other people win something if they let
me win something” or “I try to hit on a fair combination
of gains and losses for both of us”
 It is a rough balance between differing views
 When used to early, it may create several problems
1) Too little effort is spent on diagnosing the issues,
compromise is made on the stated rather than real
issues
2) Accepting compromise on initial positions
presented may be easier than searching for
alternatives that are more acceptable to all the
parties
3) Finally, it may be inappropriate to all or part of the
situation..
 There may be a better way to settle conflict such as
COLLABORATIVE STYLE/PROBLEM-SOLVING
 Requires a willingness to identify the
underlying causes of conflict, share
information openly and focus on both one’s
own and other’s concerns for mutually
beneficial solutions.
 Makes use of phrases such as: I try to deal
with all concerns – theirs and mine”; or “I try
to get all viewpoints and issues out in the
open”; or if I don’t agree at first, we should spend
some time thinking about why and then
look for best alternatives we can agree on.”
 Guidelines for effective communication are
essential for practicing collaborative style. It
requires more than opening up to others; it
also demands opening up to oneself and
gaining self-insight
WHEN TO USE THE FIVE CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT STYLES
1) AVOIDING/WITHDRAWING (Turtle)

2) SMOOTHING/ACCOMODATING (Teddy
Bear)

3) FORCING/WIN-LOSE (Shark)

4) COMPROMISING/BARGAINING (Fox)

5) COLLABORATING/PROBLEM SOLVING
(Owl)
AVOIDING/WITHDRAWING (Turtle)
 When an issue is trivial or more
important issues are pressing;
 When you perceive no chance of
satisfying your concern;
 When potential disruption outweighs the
benefits of resolution;
 To let people cool down and regain
perspective;
 When gathering information supersedes
decision; and
 When others can resolve the conflict
more effectively
SMOOTHING/ACCOMODATING (Teddy Bear)

 When you find you are wrong to allow a better

position to be heard, to show you reasonableness;
 When issues are more important to others than to
yourself
 To satisfy others and maintain cooperation
 To build social credits for later issues
 To minimize loss when you are outmatched and
losing
 When harmony and stability are especially important
 To allow subordinates to develop by learning from
mistakes
 FORCING/WIN-LOSE (Shark)

 Quick decisive action is vital (e.g. emergencies) on

important issues where unpopular actions need
implementing (e.g. cost-cutting, enforcing
rules/discipline);
 On issues vital to agency welfare and you know you
are right
 Against people who take advantage of non-
competitive behavior.
 COMPROMISING/BARGAINING (Fox)

 When goals are important, but not worth the

effort/or potential disruption of more assertive modes;
 When opponents of equal power are committed
to mutually exclusive goals
 To achieve temporary settlements to complex issues
 To arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure
 As a backup when collaboration or competition is
unsuccessful
COLLABORATING/PROBLEM SOLVING (Owl)

 To find an integrative solution when both sets of

concerns are too important to be compromised;
 When your objective is to learn;
 To merge insights from people with different
perspectives; and
 To gain commitment by incorporating concerns into
consensus
 Difficult People.
How to deal with them?
LEARNING TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Robert M. Bransom in his book, “Coping with Difficult People,”

he identifies a dozen different types based on his 30
years of working with private and government
organizations and these include:

 The Hostile-Aggressives divided up into the “sherman

tanks”, the “snipers”, and the “exploder”. These are the people
who try to bully others to get their way, make underhanded
cutting remarks, or throw temper tantrums if no one listens.
 LEARNING TO DEAL WITH
DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 The Complainers who always have something

to gripe about. They generally don’t do anything to
solve the problem, because they feel powerless to
do anything, or don’t want to take the responsibility.

 The Clams who are silent and unresponsive.

You don’t know what they really think or want.
 LEARNING TO DEAL WITH
DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 The Super-Agreeables, who eagerly say “yes” to just

about everything and appear to offer you support. They just
don’t follow through to produce what they say they will, or
they act differently than they lead you to expect.

 The “Naysayers” and perennial Pessimists, who

find a reason why anything suggested won’t work.
Since they usually think things will go wrong, they tend to
say “no” most of the time or worry constantly after
saying “yes”.
 LEARNING TO DEAL WITH
DIFFICULT PEOPLE

The Know-it-All experts, who act superior to everyone

else because they think they know everything and want
everyone else to know it. They may come across the
“bulldozers” who push others out of the way with their
knowledge. Or they may be more like “balloons” over-
inflated with their own knowledge and importance. It often
turns out they are wrong, so they are just acting a part.
 LEARNING TO DEAL WITH
DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 The Indecisives and Stallers, people who

have trouble making decisions because they
are afraid of being wrong or not perfect.
So they wait and wait, until the decision is made
for them or until the need to make decision is over.
 LEARNING TO DEAL WITH
DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 The Perfectionist, the over-rigid person who wants

everything just so, even when it may not be necessary.

 The Secret Fort, the person who keeps everything

in, won’t tell you what’s wrong, and then suddenly attacks
you when you think everything is fine.

 The Innocent Liar, the person who covers his tracks

with a lie or a series of lies, so you end up not knowing
what to trust or believe.
 GENERAL PRINCIPLE IN DEALING
WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
 A good general principle to keep in mind in dealing with
any kind of difficult person is that most people are difficult
because they have certain underlying needs or interests that
they meet by acting that way.
 The super aggressive person or instance acts like a
steamroller because underneath he is really afraid of dealing
with people or having to confront the fear that he may be wrong
 The silent clam may play it close to the vest because he
is afraid of revealing himself to others; the perennial pessimist
may always think things will go wrong because it is more
comfortable to live with the certainty of failure than the
uncertainty of hoping and finding those hopes unfulfilled.
 GENERAL PRINCIPLE IN DEALING
WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 THUS, IF YOU DECIDE ITS WORTH IT TO

DEAL WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFICULT, YOU
MIGHT LOOK FOR THESE UNDERLYING NEEDS
AND THINK OF HOW YOU CAN SATISFY
THEM.

 It’s the same as taking an individual’s needs

into consideration in an everyday conflict
situation.
7 strategies in managing conflict
Wherever there are people, there always will be conflict.
It’’s a simple fact of life. Opinions vary, and
miscommunication and misunderstandings occur. People
have differing values and priorities, and most of us resist
change. All of these things create conflict in our life and
work.
The problem is not conflict itself, but rather how we deal
with it. The good news is effective conflict management
strategies can be learned and mastered. While there are
many different types of conflict, let’s discuss some strategies
for managing interpersonal conflict.
Deal with it
Most people prefer to avoid conflict. I’ ’ve heard from many nurses
who actually have quit their jobs rather than attempt to resolve
an interpersonal conflict at work. This almost never is a good
solution, and it usually leads to feelings of regret and guilt.
Besides, if you quit every time you have a conflict on the job,
you’’ll be quitting every job you ever have in a short period of
time.
If you ignore or avoid it, it can lead to increased stress and
unresolved feelings of anger, hostility and resentment. When you
learn to manage conflict effectively, you’’ll be happier and
healthier, physically and emotionally. You’’ll have better
relationships. You’ ’ll be a better leader, a better team member
and a better person. You’’ll gain respect, improve your self-esteem
and build courage. You’’ll get more of what you want.
 Think it through
Before addressing the person with whom you have a conflict,
consider discussing the situation with an objective friend or
family member. This can help to clarify issues and needs.
Seek feedback and advice in dealing with the situation. But
be careful not to rely on the opinion of an involved third
party who may have his or her own agenda. Plan your
strategy, including what you want to say, and then write it
down and rehearse it. Create a note card, if necessary, with
your main talking points. This will help you to feel more in
control and stay on target.
Talk it out, face to face

Meeting in person can be intimidating, but it is often the best way to go.
Face-to-face communication is more effective than other forms because
it allows for an active exchange of information. It gives you the
opportunity to make use of the handshake, a smile, eye contact, hand
gestures and other important body language. It also allows you to
observe important nonverbal cues from the other party.
Set aside time to meet with the person face-to-face at a mutually
convenient time and place. When possible, meet on “neutral turf”rather
than one of your offices so no one has the “home court”advantage.
E-mail and letter writing should be avoided, if possible, to resolve
conflict or to discuss sensitive topics, problems or hurt feelings. It is too
impersonal and indirect and increases the risk of miscommunication and
misunderstanding. A phone call is the next best thing when in-person
meetings aren’’t possible.
 Use a mediator if necessary

If a situation is particularly volatile or troublesome and other

efforts have not worked, you might invite a neutral third
party, such as a supervisor, to act as a mediator if this is
agreeable to all concerned. A mediator can remain objective,
listen to both sides, and facilitate resolution and compromise.
Be firm on your objectives; you’’re there to resolve a conflict,
not defeat an opponent.
 Apologize when appropriate

Be aware of your own part in creating the

conflict. If you’’ve done something wrong
or inappropriate, be willing to acknowledge it and
say you’’re sorry, even if the conflict is not entirely a
result of your actions. Sometimes you have to meet
people halfway to get to where you want to go.
Work on your communication skills

The ability to express yourself clearly will allow you to say what’
’s on
your mind, ask for what you want and need and get your point across.
There is an expression that a problem well-stated is a problem half-
solved.
Avoid troublemakers as much as possible; they will suck you in and drag
you down. Don’t engage in gossip or backstabbing. Get the facts before
jumping to conclusions about something you’re heard through the
grapevine. Know when it’ ’s appropriate to walk away from a
confrontation, and always consider the source in the face of criticism or
hurtful comments.
Conflict can’’t be avoided, but it can be minimized and
resolved. Although avoidance sometimes seems like the easy way out,
facing conflict head-on in an appropriate and professional manner will
lead to better relationships, a more productive work environment and
empowerment.
 CONFLICT IN THE
WORKPLACE:

Strong Nursing Leadership

Can Reduce Conflict
Nursing managers spend between 25 and 40
percent of their time dealing with conflict. Doesn’t
it make sense that your organization would actively
seek out and promote those individuals that
demonstrate the ability to address conflict in
productive ways?

Whether you’re a nurse manager or an

advancement-minded staff nurse, one of the best
career strategies you can employ is to become adept
at managing and resolving conflict.
Nurse managers need to develop effective
strategies for dealing with all these
three.
1. Horizontal violence (bullying),
2. Intergenerational conflict, and
3. Interdisciplinary conflict.
 Bullying
When bullying is taking place and managers fail to act or look
the other way, they help to perpetuate the cycle rather than
breaking it. Disruptive behaviors not only threaten the morale
and emotional well-being of staff, but can undermine patient
safety as well.
For this reason, the Joint Commission now holds accredited
hospitals responsible for addressing these behaviors.

For nurse managers, this means confronting disruptive behavior

when it occurs and enforcing a zero tolerance policy for
bullying. It’s often best to start with a code of conduct that
clearly defines unacceptable behaviors and states which actions
will be taken when the code is violated. A code of conduct has
to be enforced uniformly in all units to be effective, and staff
must be aware of its existence.
 Intergenerational conflict
• Nurse managers who supervise nurses from
different generational groups often face
distinct challenges. They need an awareness of
the different working styles and approaches to
communication that different staff members
employ, and may have to adjust a
management style accordingly.
• The millennial generation is often singled out in
negative stereotypes (e.g., they need constant praise,
can’t accept criticism, etc.), but this generation has
strengths as well. You may find millennials are
extremely tech-savvy, collaborative, or innovative.
Wherever possible, it’s best to make allowances for
different communication preferences (texting vs.
email, for example), and to create solid mentoring
opportunities between nurses of different ages and
skill levels. Remember that every generation of
nurses is looking for a rewarding career, with
opportunities for professional development and the
chance to help others. You can find shared goals and
focus on common ground wherever possible.
 Interdisciplinary conflict
• Today’s emphasis on multi-disciplinary care teams means staff
nurses often must work more closely with other healthcare
professionals.
• Nurse managers are in a pivotal position to elevate nursing
practice by creating a hospital environment where nurse-
physician collaboration is the expected norm.
• They must communicate this vision of collaboration both to
staff nurses and physicians, and build self-confidence among
nurses who may feel intimidated by the shift to more
collaborative care.
• This can involve providing coaching and mentoring as
needed, with regard to communication and conflict resolution
skills.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Is more likely to occur when staff nurses and nurse
leaders have more educational equality with other
healthcare professionals – physicians, pharmacists,
social workers, physical therapists, etc. – that are
educated at the graduate and post-graduate level
• Effective leaders know this, and tend to be
lifelong learners, furthering their education in
any way possible – from pursuing a masters or
doctorate level degree, to taking workshops,
or gaining certificates in areas of interest.
What’s more, they encourage higher
education among their staff nurses, so they
are prepared to work collaboratively.

American Sentinel University’s online MSN, Management and Organizational Leadership d

 The Power of Documentation to Tackle Nurse Bullying
• ACTION STEPS
• Document immediately and ongoing: Ifyou are being
bullied, start documenting your experiences! Keep a
small notebook with you and write down dates,
times, location, witnesses, verbatim comments, and
any behaviors you believe violate policy or your code
of conduct.
• Link bullying behavior to patient safety or a quality
of care concern
• Transfer your notes into a more formal documentation
system: This can just be an electronic file or something more
substantial, like Forensic Notes which can make sure your
documentation is “court ready” just in case you decide to take
legal action.
• : Anytime you can link the bully’s behavior to an
organizational priority (like safety or quality), you have a
greater chance of your administrators taking action. Patient
safety and quality care is on their radar and is more likely to
be addressed.
 Strategies for mediating conflict
• Nurse managers should consider using the
following strategies for resolving workplace
conflicts:
• 1. Conflict resolution training
Renee Thompson, a former nurse and public speaker
on issues in nursing, explained that an important
strategy nurse managers should implement is to hold
conflict resolution training sessions for nursing staff
so that any minor conflicts can be resolved
successfully by nurses themselves.
 Strategies for mediating conflict
• This approach is important because, as
Thompson noted, there will be times when
nursing staff has to work without the
supervision of a manager. Training sessions
could involve acting out hypothetical conflicts
and then work as a group toward a resolution.
• Intervening at the right time
Glenn Llopis, writing for Forbes, suggested that while
it is sometimes more effective for managers to allow
employees to resolve small disputes independently,
managers should be cognizant of the correct time to
intervene and mediate the situation. Action should
be taken when it becomes apparent that the
behavior of one or both of the parties has had a
tangible, negative impact on the working
environment. Ideally, evidence of wrongdoing should
be provided.
Meeting with both Parties

• According to journalist Susan M. Heathfield in The Balance,

once intervention has been deemed necessary, managers
should take action and meet with both parties involved,
simultaneously. Meeting both parties separately is unwise,
Heathfield explained, because nurse managers run the risk of
becoming biased to one opinion. The most effective way to
resolve conflict is for managers to discuss the incident with
both parties in the same room, affording them both an equal
amount of time to state their case.
Meeting with both Parties

• This approach promotes fairness and balance, more

effectively paving the way for a peaceful resolution.
Heath field noted that it is also important for
managers to assume a neutral position and stress
their neutrality at all times throughout the conflict
resolution process.
Developing goals
Heathfield went on to state that once both parties
have articulated their grievances with the other,
managers should encourage the individuals to
explain how they wish to resolve the situation going
forward. For example, party A may want to be
treated by the other with more respect, while party
B may want party A to be more efficient. However,
this approach only can work if both parties pledge to
make changes, no matter how small, in an attempt to
resolve the issue. In other words, both individuals
should cultivate shared goals that they can commit
to in a bid to move on from the tension
As a nurse, you'll be working in a high-stress
environment. You may have conflicts with a nursing
colleague, health care provider, family member,
member of the support staff—or even a patient.
When a conflict arises, assess the problem and
determine what outcome you're seeking. While the
situation is occurring, try to actively listen to the
discussion; avoid the impulse to respond until you
know all the details. Being an active listener will help
you avoid confrontation and choose the best strategy
to resolve the conflict. Here are some options:
Conflict Management

Conflict – internal and external discord that results in

from differences in ideas, values or feelings between
2 or more people. It arises because of differences in
economic and professional values.
• Two Main Types
Competitive Conflict – 2 or more group the
same goal and only one group can attain them
– Management: Set Goals

Disruptive Conflict – takes place in environment

filled with anger, fear and stress. There is no
mutually acceptable set of rules and the goal of
each party is the elimination of each opponent.
Conflict Resolution Strategies
Use of dominance and Suppression
– Win lose strategy
– Loses feels angry

Restriction –
autocratic coercive style that uses indirect and
obstructive expression of conflict.
• Smoothing Behavior – persuades the
opponent in a diplomatic way
• Avoidance Behavior – 2 parties are aware of
the conflict but choose not to acknowledge or
attempt to resolve it.
• Majority rule – unanimous decision
• Compromising – consensus strategy where each side
agrees solutions
• Interactive Problem Solving – constructive process in
which the parties involve recognized that conflict,
assist and openly try to solve the problems
• Win-Win Strategy – focuses on goals and attempts to
meet the needs of both parties.
• Lose-Lose Strategy – neither side wins
• Confrontation – most effective means of resolving
the conflict. Resolves through knowledge and reason
brought out in an open.
• Negotiation – “give and take”