In the first place, one should always remember that a conflict may arise anywhere and for any reason - even in the friendliest work collective or environment. Collaboration is considered to be one of the most effective approaches of a conflict settlement. Collaborative conflict management provides for managing conflict by negotiating, a situation in which opponents in a conflict situation work together in order to achieve a common objective. This conflict management strategy is effective when each side involved in the conflict assumes responsibility for his or her own actions and diligently strains after the settlement of a problem.
As for collaboration conflict management in nursing, the process of resoling a problem experienced in the workplace should also involve negotiation. As the chief objective is to consider different outlooks and viewpoints to reach the best solution possible, it is crucial for healthcare professionals to cooperate on an open communication basis, adjusting their differences to eventually reach consensus. According to Hiemer (2012) "a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is the foundation of nursing care. It contributes to both the patients’ well-being and their health". For instance, a conflict situation may occur when there is insufficient staff on a unit. Thus, nurses will dispute upon the division of responsibilities. Only by managing this problem collaboratively, nurses can organize priorities with regard to patient's care needs, consolidate all the available resources, and allocate them efficiently in order to achieve the reciprocally acceptable common target of proficient patient care. A positive outcome of the collaboration conflict management strategies implementation in this particular situation is that all the patients are taken care of in a proper manner. According to Johansen (2012), resolving conflicts in an adequate and effective manner gives rise to improved quality, patient safety, and staff morale, and limits stresses in the working environment.
Works Cited
1. Hiemer, A. (2012). Conflict Resolution . Retrieved from http://rnjournal.com/journal-of-nursing/conflict-resolution
2. Johansen, M. (2012, February). Keeping the peace: Conflict management strategies for nurse: Nursing Management. Retrieved from http://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Fulltext/2012/02000/Keeping_the_peace___Conflict_management_strategies.13.aspx
