Unit 6: Lesson 4: Handling Team Conflict

Lesson 4: Handling Team Conflict

Lesson 5: Handling Team Conflict

Regardless of the team, it is likely that the team will experience some conflict among members if they remain a team for any length of time. In the healthcare setting, this conflict can erupt due to personality differences, power differentials within the group, communication problems, different opinions about how to treat a patient, and behaviors that might disrupt the group, such as lateness, being slow to perform tasks, and not doing a fair share of the work. Many healthcare teams also face the challenges of caring for patients whose outcomes aren't what was hoped for, work overloads, and the stress of dealing with life-threatening situations. While most healthcare professionals try to keep these challenges and conflicts from affecting patient care, tension and issues within the group take some of the focus from the patient and their treatment and place it on the conflict.

While we often think of conflict as disruptive, it can benefit the team (and even patients) if the conflict is handled correctly. For example, a disagreement about how to treat a patient might lead everyone to research the issue more thoroughly, leading to more excellent knowledge and the absolute best course of treatment for the individual patient. Likewise, it could also lead the team to try a new treatment, which could help the patient and others. Conflict between group members can help produce new ideas and approaches to problems. It can also help team members learn to communicate more effectively with each other. Yet teams have to walk a fine line with conflict. At a point, conflict becomes destructive and defeating for the team. This point will be different for each team, depending on the team members' personalities and the organizational structure within which they work.

Studies of group conflicts have identified some different types of conflict styles. Individuals may be more likely to use one more than others, although most people can use different conflict styles depending on the situation and the issue. Knowing about the various types of conflict styles can help health science professionals within their professional teams and when working with patients and their families.

• Competitive: some individuals take a competitive approach to situations of conflict. They often have a firm idea of what they want to see happen and will fight to make that happen. These individuals may come from a position of power; they may be managers or in other positions of authority within a healthcare setting. This style can be helpful when the team faces an emergency, as the person may be more willing to step up and make decisions for the group. Individuals with competitive styles can also stand firm on their decisions when the decision is unpopular. However, individuals with competitive conflict styles may hold to a course of action to 'win' a conflict with others. It can leave team members with resentment and hurt if the decision or solution could have been resolved by the entire group instead of one individual or if the decision created unintended or harmful consequences.
• Collaborative: some team members may have a collaborative approach to conflict. Those with this style tend to want to meet the needs of all team members. They may still be assertive and decisive in conflict situations, but individuals with this style often try to make all team members feel part of the process. A leader with this style can help bring together individuals with diverse personalities and viewpoints and can be helpful in situations where past conflicts have caused significant rifts in the team.
• Compromising: some people prefer trying to find a compromise that will satisfy all team members. A leader with a compromising approach to conflict will want all members to give up something in the compromise. In other words, no one gets exactly what they like in the situation, but the hope is that the compromise will be acceptable to all team members. This approach can be beneficial if the conflict is between two equally powerful individuals and a decision has to be made.
• Accommodating: Some leaders' approaches conflict with the tendency to give up different points to make others happy. In the health sciences, accommodating approaches can be beneficial when keeping the team functioning without conflict is more important than having someone 'win' the conflict. However, this approach can be dangerous if the individual places peace above appropriate treatment for a patient.

• Avoiding: some people try to avoid conflict altogether. An individual with this approach might accept a decision with which they don't agree or delegate controversial choices so that they don't hurt anyone else's feelings. Someone with this Approach to conflict is often seen as being highly cooperative. The Approach can be beneficial if the conflict is trivial or unresolved. However, avoiding conflict can be problematic if the leader uses this Approach rather than taking responsibility for making decisions. In the health sciences, team leaders should be highly knowledgeable and skilled at team tasks. Avoiding conflicts could negate this specialized knowledge and skills within the team if the person doesn't exercise leadership.

Although individuals may use any of these styles in given circumstances, most people tend to use one more often. Which style of conflict do you think you use most often?

When conflict becomes negative, there are several ways that team members can deal with the conflict:

• Direct Approach: using this approach, the leader tackles the conflict directly. Although this approach can be uncomfortable for those involved, it can also clear the air and allow the group a sense of resolution. Leaders must be careful to make criticism constructive and look at the situation objectively.
• Enforcement of Team Rules: This approach is typically used when one or more team members are not following the rules set up for the team. For this approach to work, the group must have established rules or guidelines. For example, a healthcare team may have a set delegation of duties. If someone is not carrying out the tasks that they are supposed to, the leader may need to enforce the rules with this person. This can create hard feelings and resentment with the group members not following the rules. It is often necessary to have the individual assigned to another group or, depending on the infractions committed, fired from their job to eliminate the conflict within the group or maintain the standard for patient care.
• Bargaining: This Approach allows for compromise on the issue. In some cases, two individuals may have different treatments or solutions in mind for a disease or problem. With this approach, the leader can help the two individuals come to a compromise, with both sides experiencing some give and take. For example, health science professionals might agree to try one treatment with a patient for a specified period before trying the other. A healthcare site manager might also agree to try a new way of doing something to see whether it will help individuals work more efficiently and effectively. This approach can be beneficial as it allows both sides to feel that they have been heard and that their ideas have been taken seriously.
• De-emphasis: This approach is a form of bargaining. In it, the leader helps team members focus on the areas of agreement and de-emphasize the areas on which they disagree. This can often deflate the situation and allow individuals to approach the problem less antagonistically.
• Retreat: sometimes, the conflicts within a team are not significant problems or real issues. For example, sometimes two team members will argue with or annoy each other. The issue may take care of itself by simply avoiding the problem or finding a way to work around it. Team members may cool down from their arguments after some time or minor issues may disappear if ignored. Leaders must distinguish between the types of problems that can be avoided and those that need to be dealt with in other ways.

The choice of Approach can depend on several different factors, including the situation, what the conflict is about, the leadership style, and the possible effects of using each Approach.

In this unit, we have learned more about leadership and teamwork for health science teams. We've discussed some of the theories that attempt to explain leadership and leadership styles, and we've identified some of the common characteristics of leaders. We also discussed some common characteristics of effective teams and considered how effective healthcare teams can be built. Finally, we learned more about approaches to conflict and how leaders can handle conflict within teams.

Think About

1. What is leadership? Why is leadership important in the health sciences?
2. Are leaders born or made? What factors influence a person's leadership style?
3. What do effective healthcare teams look like? What traits do they have?
4. How can healthcare leaders build effective teams in healthcare settings?
5. What are some common ways people react to conflict within teams? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these ways of responding?